Modern stalagmite oxygen isotopic composition and its implications of climatic change from a high-elevation cave in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau over the past 50 years

An oxygen isotope record of a stalagmite from Huanglong Cave in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau dated with 230Th and 210Pb methods provides variations of the Asian monsoon with an average resolu-tion of 1 year over the past 50 years. This study shows that the δ18O of dripwater in the cave represents the annual mean δ18O of local meteoric precipitation and the stalagmites were deposited in isotopic equilibrium. A comparison of the stalagmite δ18O record with instrumentally meteorological data indi-cates that shifts of the δ18O are largely controlled by the amount effect of meteoric precipitation con-veyed through the southwest monsoon(the Indian monsoon) and less affected by temperature. Therefore,the variations of δ18O record reflect the changes in monsoon precipitation on inter-annual time scales under the influence of the southwest monsoon. Like many other stalagmite δ18O records in the Asian monsoon regions,the δ18O record of the stalagmite from Huanglong Cave also reveals a gradually enriched trend during the past 50 years,i.e. relatively enriched in 18O. This trend may indicate the decline of the Asian monsoon intensity which is consistent with the decrease of monsoon indices. The weakening of the modern Asian monsoon well matched with the temperature changes in strato-sphere,which may illustrate that the weakening of the monsoon mainly results from the lowering of solar radiation.     

Indian monsoon influences altitude effect of δ~(18)O in precipitation/river water on the Tibetan Plateau

The δ^18O variation in precipitation acquired from 28 stations within the network of Tibetan Observation and Research Platform （TORP） is studied, with the focus on the altitude effect of δ^18O in river water during monsoon precipitation in an effort to understand the monsoon influence on isotopic composition in annual river water. It is found that δ^18O in precipitation on the Plateau is influenced by different moisture sources, with significant Indian monsoon influence on δ^18O composition in plateau precipitation and river water. The δ^18O of water bodies in the monsoon domain is generally more depleted than that in the westerly domain, suggesting gradual rainout of southwesterly borne marine moisture in the course of long-distance transportation and lifting over the Himalayas. The lapse rate of δ^18O in river water with altitude is the largest during monsoon precipitation, due to the increased temperature vertical gradient over the southern Plateau region controlled by monsoon circulation. The combination of δ^18O in river water in monsoon （wet） and non-monsoon （dry） seasons shows a larger lapse rate than that in non-monsoon （dry） season alone. As the altitude effect of δ^18O in precipitation and river water on the Tibetan Plateau results from the combined effect of monsoon moisture supply and westerly moisture supply, the δ^18O composition and its altitude effect on the Plateau during monsoon seasons should be considered in the reconstruction of paleoelevation of the Tibetan Plateau.     

Synoptic-scale variation of δ18O in summer monsoon rainfall at Lijiang, China

Based on the daily δ~(18)O data in June―September 2003 at Lijiang and the daily mean NCEP/ NCAR reanalysis data, synoptic-scale variation of δ~(18)O in summer monsoon rainfall was investigated. The 'precipitation amount effect' is obvious for the daily δ~(18)O variation, whereas the 'temperature effect' is insignificant. Alternate occurrences of active phase and break phase of the southwest monsoon probably influence the synoptic-scale δ~(18)O variation prominently. Moreover, the isotopic composition in precipitation during the late monsoon months is presumably influenced significantly by recycling of monsoon precipitation. Both the above factors disturb the 'amount effect' of isotopic variation in the monsoon region. This study also indicates that the synoptic-scale rainfall δ~(18)O variation at Lijiang in summer is domi-nated by the Indian monsoon depression (low pressure) system at large scale. These results are important for further studying the 'amount effect' and reconstructing paleoclimate in the monsoon region.     

Abrupt climate change of EastAsian Monsoon at 130 kaBP inferred from a high resolu-tion stalagmite δ18O record

^230Th ages and oxygen isotope data of a stalagmite from Shanbao Cave in Hubei Province characterize the East Asian Monsoon precipitation from 133 to 127ka. The decadal-scale high-resolution δ^18O record reveals a detailed transitional process from the Penultimate Glaciation to the Last Interglaciation. As established with ^230Th dates, the age of the Termination Ⅱ is determined to be 129.5±1.0 kaBP, which supports the Northern Hemisphere insolation as the triggers for the ice-age cycles. In our δ^18O record, the glacial/interglacial fluctuation reaches about 4‰, almost the same level as in other Asian Monsoon cave stalagmite δ^18O records. The transition of the glacial/interglacial period in our record can be recognized as four stepwise stages, among which, a rapid rise of monsoon precipitation follows the stage of “Termination Ⅱ pause”. The rapid rise is synchronous with the abrupt change of global methane concentration, which reflects that an increase in both Asian Monsoon precipitation and tropical wetland plays an important role in the global climate changes.     

Oxygen isotope variation in the water cycle of the Yamzho lake Basin in southern Tibetan Plateau

Given the potential use of stable isotope in the paleoclimate reconstruction from lacustrine records as well as in the local hydrology cycle, it is crucial to understand the processes of stable isotope evolution in catchment in the Tibetan Plateau region. Here we present a detailed study on the water oxygen isotope based on 2 years observation including precipitation, river water and lake water in the Yamzho Lake, south of the Tibetan Plateau. Temporal variation of local precipitation 5180 shows an apparent ＂monsoon cycle＂. In monsoon season, 5180 in waters is lower. In non-monsoon season, δ^18O in precipitation and lake water is higher and higher river δ^18O exists in spring, probably reflecting the effect of land surface evaporation, together with the higher δ^18O values in spring precipitation. It is also found that the surface lake water δ^18O varies seasonally and annually. The lower lake water δ^18O in the late summer is apparently related to the summer monsoon precipitation. The mean δ^18O value of lake water in 2007 is 1.2‰ higher than that in 2004, probably due to the less monsoon precipitation in summer of 2007, as can be confirmed from the precipitation data at the Langkazi meteorological data. It is also found that an obvious shift of vertical lake water δ^18O reflects the fast mixture of lake water. δ^18O values of lake water are over 10‰ higher than those of precipitation and river water in this region due to the evaporation fractionation. The modeled results show that the evaporation process of the lake water is sensitive to relative humidity, and the present lake water δ^18O reflects a relative humidity of 51% in the Yamzho Lake. It shows that the lake will take 30.5 years to reach present lake water δ^18O given a large shift in the input water δ^18O. The modeled results also reveal that surface lake water temperature and inflow δ^18O have slight effect on the isotopic balance process of lake water in the Yamzho Lake.     

Changes in sea surface temperature in western South China Sea over the past 450 ka

Sea surface temperature over the past 450 ka was obtained by the unsaturation of molecular fossil-long chain alkenone with a resolution of about 1 ka from the western South China Sea. This is the longest temperature profile in the South China Sea at such high resolution. The U37^κ-SST results revealed similar glacial-interglacial cycles as the δ^18O profile of planktonic foraminifera, with SST variability of 23-25.5℃ for glacial and 25-28℃ for interglacial periods. The highest SST （28.4℃） was recorded at MIS5.5 and lowest SST （22.6℃） during MIS2. The SST record preceded the planktonic foraminiferal δ^18O on five glacial-interglacial transitions. Comparison of temperature records from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres indicated a more Southern Hemisphere-like pattern for the temperature variation in the SCS. Strong precession and semiprecession signals in the spectra of our SST record manifest the tropical phenomena.     

High-resolution climate recorded in the δ13 C of Porites lutea from Nansha Islands of China

A Porites lutea core from Yongshu Reef of Nansha Islands covering 50_year growth history is analyzed for carbon isotopic composition with monthly and seasonal resolution, and the results show that the coral δ 13 C generally has clear yearly cycles. The calibration indicates that the coral δ 13 C can record the sunshine duration, total cloud cast and rainfall of the Yongshu Reef, and it also shows significant association to El Nio events. From 1950 to 1999, the δ 13 C shows a clear long-term declining trend, which indicates a decrease in the sunshine duration and an increase in cloud cast and rainfall over Yongshu Reef over the past fifty years.     

Climatic significance of δ18O records from precipitation on the western Tibetan Plateau

Analysis of daily precipitation samples for stable oxygen isotopes （δ^18O） collected at the Shiquanhe and Gerze （Gaize, Gertse） stations in the Ngari （Ali） region on the western Tibetan Plateau indicates that air temperature affects the δ^18O variations in precipitation at these stations. In summer, Shiquanhe and Gerze show strongly similar trends in precipitation δ^18O, especially in simultaneous precipitation events. Moreover, both stations experienced low δ^18O values in precipitation during the active monsoon period, resulting from the southwest monsoon （the summer phase of the Indian monsoon）. However, during the break monsoon period （during the summer rainy season, when the monsoon circulation is disrupted）, δ^18O values in summer precipitation remain relatively high and local moisture recycling generally controls the moisture sources. Air temperature correlations with δ^18O strengthen during the non-monsoon period （January--June, and October--December） due to continental air masses and the westerlies. In addition, evaporation also influences the δ^18O variations in precipitation. The observed temporal and spatial variations of δ^18O in precipitation on the western Tibetan Plateau and adjacent regions show that the late May and early June-the late August and early September time frame provides an important period for the transportation of moisture from various sources on the Tibetan Plateau, and that the region of the West Kunlun-Tanggula Ranges acts as a significant climatic divide on the Plateau, perhaps for all of western China.     

Origin of summer monsoon rainfall identified by δ18O in precipitation

A negative correlation between δ^18O in monsoon precipitation and f, the ratio of precipitable water in monsoon region to that in water source area, is hypothesized. Using the Rayleigh model, a new method for identifying origin of summer monsoon rainfall is developed based on the hypothesis. In order to validate the method, the isotopic data at New Delhi, a typical station in the southwest monsoon region, and Hong Kong, a typical station in the southeast monsoon region, were collected and analyzed for case studies. The case studies indicate that the water source areas of the monsoon rairdall at the two stations identified by the method are accordant with the general atmosphere circulation patterns. The method developed in this paper is significantly important for tracing the origin of summer monsoon precipitation.     

Asian summer monsoon precipitation recorded by stalagmite oxygen isotopic composition in the western Loess Plateau during AD1875―2003 and its linkage with ocean-atmosphere system

Based on 5 high-precision 230Th dates and 103 stable oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) obtained from the top 16 mm of a stalagmite collected from Wanxiang Cave,Wudu,Gansu,variation of monsoonal precipita-tion in the modern Asian Monsoon (AM) marginal zone over the past 100 years was reconstructed. Comparison of the speleothem δ18O record with instrumental precipitation data at Wudu in the past 50 years indicates a high parallelism between the two curves,suggesting that the speleothem δ18O is a good proxy for the AM strength and associated precipitation,controlled by "amount effect" of the pre-cipitation. Variation of the monsoonal precipitation during the past 100 years can be divided into three stages,increasing from AD 1875 to 1900,then decreasing from AD 1901 to 1946,and increasing again thereafter. This variation is quite similar to that of the Drought/Flooding index archived from Chinese historical documents. This speleothem-derived AM record shows a close association with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) between AD 1875 and 1977,with higher monsoonal precipitation corre-sponding to cold PDO phase and vice versa at decadal timescale. The monsoonal precipitation varia-tion is out of phase with the PDO after AD 1977,probably resulting from the decadal climate jump in the north Pacific occurring at around AD 1976/77. These results demonstrate a strong linkage between the AM and associated precipitation and the Pacific Ocean via ocean/atmosphere interaction. This rela-tionship will aid to forecast future hydrological cycle for the AM monsoon region,and to improve forecasting potential of climatic model with observation data from cave.     

Positive correlation between δ~(18)O in monsoon precipitation and atmospheric wind speed

Analyzed results of the atmospheric wind speedand stable isotopic data (δ^18O) in summer precipitation atBangkok, Bombay, New Delhi, Kunming and Lhasa, the IAEA/WMO stations, indicate that δ^18O in monsoon pre-cipitation correlate positively to wind speed and that thereexists a monsoonal vapor layer over these monsoon-controlled areas during monsoon seasons. The isotopic ex-change happens between monsoon vapors and failing rain-drops in the layer, resulting in this correlation between δ^18O and wind speed. This suggests that wind speed is probablyone of key factors affecting the δ^18O variation besides air temperature and rainfall in the southwest monsoon domain.     

Multiscale characteristics of the rainy season rainfall and interdecadal decaying of summer monsoon in North China

This paper focuses on the rainfall spectrum and its evolution of North China in rainy season with summer monsoon decaying in interdecadal time scale. The interannual component of the rainfall is the dominant part, accounting for 85% of the total variance, and has been changed significantly during the last 30 years. According to wavelet analysis its 5a periodic spectrum suddenly disappeared in the late 1960s, and its biennial oscillation gradually become weaker and weaker since 1970, accompanied by the summer monsoon decaying. Contrarily, the interdecadal component is principal in the summer monsoon over North China and is very similar to the counterpart of the rainfall. Their interdecadal parts are significantly correlated, and the correlation coefficient is nearly equal to the one of the original sequences.Besides, the dry and wet climate alternated with the monsoon abrupt changes in the 1960s and the 1970s over East Asia, apart from North China, climate drifted from a light drought to a severe drought during the past 30 years.     

Weathering Signals of Millennial-Scale Oscillations of the East-Asian Summer Monsoon over the Last 220 ka

This study generated a high-resolution paleoweathering record of the loess-soil sequence from the central Loess Plateau covering the last 220 ka using the ratio between the CBD (citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite) extractable free Fe_2O_3 (Fed) and total Fe_2O_3 (Fet). The new proxy shows a series of millennial oscillations, which are not necessarily documented by magnetic susceptibility from the same site. Because chemical weathering in the region depends mainly upon summer precipitation and temperature, we interpret these changes to be a result of millennial-scale variations in the strength of the East-Asian summer monsoon. Over the last glacial period, there is general agreement between the loess weathering record and the GRIP ice δ~(18)O record. The first suggests a rather stable summer monsoon pattern during the Last Interglacial period (marine δ~(18)O stage 5e). Large amplitude millennial oscillations of the summer monsoon seem to be particularly characteristic of the last glacial period whereas the fluctuations for the older periods are smoother.     

Asian summer monsoon precipitation recorded by stalagmite oxygen isotopic composition in the western Loess Plateau during AD1875―2003 and its linkage with ocean-atmosphere system

Based on 5 high-precision ^230Th dates and 103 stable oxygen isotope ratios （51eO） obtained from the top 16 mm of a stalagmite collected from Wanxiang Cave, Wudu, Gansu, variation of monsoonal precipitation in the modern Asian Monsoon （AM） marginal zone over the past 100 years was reconstructed. Comparison of the speleothem δ^18O record with instrumental precipitation data at Wudu in the past 50 years indicates a high parallelism between the two curves, suggesting that the speleothem δ^18O is a good proxy for the AM strength and associated precipitation, controlled by ＂amount effect＂ of the precipitation. Variation of the monsoonal precipitation during the past 100 years can be divided into three stages, increasing from AD 1875 to 1900, then decreasing from AD 1901 to 1946, and increasing again thereafter. This variation is quite similar to that of the Drought/Flooding index archived from Chinese historical documents. This speleothem-derived AM record shows a close association with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO） between AD 1875 and 1977, with higher monsoonal precipitation corresponding to cold PDO phase and vice versa at decadal timescale. The monsoonal precipitation variation is out of phase with the PDO after AD 1977, probably resulting from the decadal climate jump in the north Pacific occurring at around AD 1976/77. These results demonstrate a strong linkage between the AM and associated precipitation and the Pacific Ocean via ocean/atmosphere interaction. This relationship will aid to forecast future hydrological cycle for the AM monsoon region, and to improve forecasting potential of climatic model with observation data from cave.     

A carbon－and oxygen－isotoperecord of recent environ－mental change from Qinghai Lake, NE Tibetan Plateau

A c. 300-year oxygen and carbon isotope record derived from fine-grained and ostracod carbonate from Qinghai Lake testifies to dramatic interannual to illterde-cadal linmologicai change. Fine-grained carbonates, whichare mainly authigenic, are likely to have formed in the epillmnion of the lake and their isotopic composition reflects the summer temperature and, more importantly, the isotopic composition of the near-surface waters, which is mainly afunction of evapor ative concentration. Ostracod shells aresecreted in the benthos of the lake, and their isotopic compo-sition reflects summer bottom-water conditions, together with fractionation effects, which may differ between species.Differences between contemporaneous values from authi-genic carbonates and ostracod shells may provide an indica-tion of stratification within the lake and variations in effec-tive precip itation over the northeast part of the Tibetan Pla-tcau over the past 300 years. A period of moderate evapora-tive concentration, from about 300 to 100 yr BP, was inter-rupted by a marked wet phase from-100 to 40 vr BP. which was in turn followed by a return to drier conditions in the most recent part of the record. The increase in δ^18O values in the latter part of the record accords well with instrumental records of lake-level lowering and salinity increase since about 1955 AD.     

Variations in air temperature during the last 100 years revealed by δ~(18)O in the Malanice core from the Tibetan Plateau

By comprehensive analyses,it was found that the variations in δ^18O recorded in Malan ice core from the Kekexili Region on the Tibetan Plateau could represent the changes in air temperature during the summer half year (from May to October) over the Kekexili Region and the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau.The general increase trend in δ^18O in the ice core during the past century indicated climate warming,and it was estimated that air temperature during the summer half-year rose about 1.2℃ over there then.However,this ice core record documented that the study area has been cooling while most of the world has been dramatically warming since the late 1970s. A tele-connection was found between the variations in δ^18O in the Malan ice core and the North Atlantic Oscillation.Moreover,the variations in δ^18O in this ice core were similar to that in the summer half-year air temperature over the southern Tibetan Plateau on the centurial time scale,but opposite on the multidecadal time scale.     

Recent temperature increase recorded in an ice core in the source region of Yangtze River

Interests on climate change in the source region of Yangtze River have been raised since it is a region with the greatest warming over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A 70-year history of precipitation δ~(18)O has been recovered using an ice core record retrieved in a plat portion of the firn area in the Guoqu Glacier (33°34′37.8″N, 91°10′35.3″E, 5720 m a.s.l.), Mt. Geladaindong (the source region of Yangtze River), in November, 2005. By using a significant positive relationship between ice core δ~(18)O record and summer air temperature (July to September) from the nearby meteorological stations, a history of summer air temperature has been reconstructed for the last 70 years. Summer temperature was relatively low in 1940s and high in 1950s to the middle of 1960s. The lowest temperature occurred in the middle of 1970s. Temperature was low in 1980s and dramatically increased since 1990s, keeping the trend to the begin-ning of the 21st century. The warming rate recorded in the ice core with 0.5℃/10 a since 1970s is much higher that that in the central TP and the Northern Hemisphere (NH), and it becomes 1.1℃/10 a since 1990s which is also higher than these from the central TP and the NH, reflecting an accelerated warm-ing and a more sensitive response to global warming in the high elevation region.     

Simulation of the future change of East Asian monsoon climate using the IPCC SRES A2 and B2 scenarios

In this paper, we applied the newest emission scenarios of the sulfur and greenhouse gases, i.e. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) A2 and B2 scenarios, to investigating the change of the East Asian climate in the last three decades of the 21st century with an atmosphere-ocean coupled general circulation model. The global warming enlarges the land-sea thermal contrast and, hence, enhances (reduces) the East Asian summer (winter) monsoon circulation. The precipitation from the Yangtze and Huaihe river valley to North China increases significantly. In particular, the strong rainfall increase over North China implies that the East Asian rainy area would expand northward. In addition, from the southeastern coastal area to North China, the rainfall would increase significantly in September, implying that the rainy period of the East Asian monsoon would be prolonged about one month. In July, August and September, the interannual variability of the precipitation enhances evidently over North China, meaning a risk of flooding in the future.     

Study of altitudinal lapse rates of δ18O in precipitation/river water with seasons on the southeast Tibetan Plateau

Seasonal δ^18O variation in water on the southeast Tibetan Plateau has been studied, showing the consistent variation pattern of δ^18O with altitude indicative of relevant atmospheric circulation processes. Study shows a similar variation pattern of fixed-site river water δ^18O with that of the precipitation δ^18O in southeast Tibet. δ^18O in regional rivers in southeast Tibet demonstrates a gradual depletion with increasing altitude, though the rates vary seasonally. The most depleted river ^18O occurs during the monsoon period, with the lowest δ^18O/altitude lapse rate. The river ^18O during the westerly period is also depleted, together with low δ^18O/altitude lapse rate. The pre-monsoon rivers witness the most enriched ^18O with least significant correlation coefficient with the linear regression, whilst the postmonsoon rivers witness the largest δ^18O/altitude lapse rate. Different coherence of seasonal δ^18O variation with the altitude effect is attributed to different moisture supplies. Though sampling numbers vary with seasons, the δ^18O-H linear correlation coefficients all reach the 0.05 confidence level, thus witnessing the variation features of δ^18O in seasonal river water due to the influence of atmospheric general circulation and land surface processes revealed from the altitudinal lapse rates.     

Humid medieval warm period recorded by magnetic characteristics of sediments from Gonghai Lake,Shanxi, North China

Variations in monsoon strength, moisture or precipitation in eastern China during the MWP reflected by different climatic records have shown apparent discrepancies. Here, detailed environmental magnetic investigations and mineralogical analyses were conducted on lacustrine sediments of Core GH09B1 (2.8 m long) from Gonghai Lake, Shanxi, North China, concerning the monsoon history during the MWP. The results demonstrate that the main magnetic mineral is magnetite. The sediments with relatively high magnetic mineral concentrations were characterized by relatively fine magnetic grain sizes, which were formed in a period of relatively strong pedogenesis and high precipitation. In contrast, the sediments with low magnetic mineral concentrations reflected an opposite process. The variations of magnetic parameters in Gonghai Lake sediments were mainly controlled by the degree of pedogenesis in the lake drainage basin, which further indicated the strength of the Asian summer monsoon. The variations in the and S 300 parameters of the core clearly reveal the Asian summer monsoon history over the last 1200 years in the study area, suggesting generally abundant precipitation and a strong summer monsoon during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP, AD 910–1220), which is supported by pollen evidence. Furthermore, this 3–6-year resolution environmental magnetic record indicates a dry event around AD 980–1050, interrupting the generally humid MWP. The summer monsoon evolution over the last millennium recorded by magnetic parameters in sediments from Gonghai Lake correlates well with historical documentation (North China) and speleothem oxygen isotopes (Wanxiang Cave), as well as precipitation modeling results (extratropical East Asia), which all indicate a generally humid MWP within which centennial-scale moisture variability existed. It is thus demonstrated that environmental magnetic parameters could be used as an effective proxy for monsoon climate variations in high-resolution lacustrine sediments.