Late quaternary upper-water column structure in upwelling areas of the South China Sea

Based on a quantitative analysis of planktonic foraminifera in two gravity cores (17928 and 17954), the history of the upper-water structure of the eastern and west ern slopes of the South China Sea (SCS) over the last 220 Ka was reconstructed using the transfer function technique. Our results show that lower sea surface temperature (SST) and shallower depth of thermocline (DOT) exist at Core 17928, off Luzon, in the glacial periods; on the contrary, the same situation turned up in the interglacial at Core 17954, off Vietnam. These changes of the upper-water column structure in the two areas are induced by coastal upwelling, which in turn is driven by monsoons, namely, winter monsoon leads to upwelling at the eastern slope, and summer monsoon gives birth to upwelling on the western slope. Moreover, the intensity of upwellings is also closely related to the evolution of the East Asian monsoon. Therefore, we assume that the changes of the upwelling in the two sites indicate strengthenning of winter and summer monsoon during the glacial and inter glacial periods, respectively.     

Warming magnitude of Indonesian Throughflow during the penultimate deglaciation (Termination II) and its relationship with climate change in high-latitude regions

The tropical oceans are important source areas for global heat and water vapor transport, and changes in tropical sea surface tem-perature (SST) will have important impacts on high-latitude and global climate change. It is crucial to establish the precise phase relationship between tropical and high-latitude climate variability to gain insight into the mechanisms of global climate change. Here, we present multi-proxy records across the penultimate deglaciation (Termination II) from sediment Core SO18459, which is located in the outflow area of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) of the Timor Sea. These proxy records include planktonic and benthic foraminifera δ¹⁸O, planktonic foraminifera G. ruber Mg/Ca-derived SST, and δ¹⁸O_w of sea surface water. The Mg/Ca-SST records indicate a warming of 4.1°C in the Timor Sea over Termination II, which is in phase with decrease in planktonic and benthic δ¹⁸O. Our results suggest that at millennial timescales, climate change of the tropical oceans is synchronous with high-latitude ice volume changes. Furthermore, warming of the Timor Sea is almost simultaneous with warming of the Antarctic, suggesting a rapid heat transfer from the tropics to the Antarctic via the atmosphere and/or ocean circulations. The G. ruber δ¹⁸O and SST records of Core SO18459 show a marked YD-like event during Termination II, which is probably caused by decrease in Australian rainfall or strengthening of the Western Pacific Warm Pool. However, a similar YD-like event is not observed in East Asian rainfall records. This discrepancy indicates that different tropical climate systems may have different responses to the same forcing, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation. A similar YD-like event is observed in the global benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O records during Termination II, implying teleconnection of millennial scale climate change between the tropical regions and high latitudes.     

A broad deglacial δ13C minimum event in planktonic foraminiferal records in the Okinawa Trough

The equatorial Pacific upwelling zone has been suspected of playing an important role in the global atmospheric CO2 changes associated with glacial-interglacial cycles.In order to assess the influencing scope of the surface water deglacial δ13C minimum in the tropical Iow-latitude Pacific,the core DGKS9603, collected from the middle Okinawa Trough, was examined for δ13C records of planktonic foraminifera N. dutertrei and G. ruber. The planktonic foraminiferal δ13C records show a clear decreasing event from 20 to 6 cal. kaBP., which is characterized by long duration of about 14 ka and amplitude shift of 0.4 × 10-3. Its minimum value occurred at 15.7 cai kaBP. The event shows fairly synchrony with the surface water deglacial δ13C minimum identiffed in the tropical Pacific and its marginal seas. Because there is no evidence in planktonic foraminiferal fauna and δ18O records for upwelling and river runoff enhancement,the broad deglacial δ13C minimum event in planktonic foraminiferal records revealed in core DGKS9603 might have been the direct influencing result of the deglacial surface water of the tropical Pacific. The identification for the event in the Okinawa Trough provides new evidence that the water evolution in the tropical low-latitude Pacific plays a key role in large regional, even global carbon cycle.     

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.     

副热带太平洋海温异常对赤道海洋的影响

利用完全耦合的气候模式进行敏感性试验, 定量研究副热带太平洋不同经度带的海表面温度异常(SSTA)对赤道太平洋的影响。研究发现, 赤道表层和温跃层海温对副热带太平洋(20°?30°N)西部、中部和东部SSTA的热力响应是相当的。 研究中强调大气?海洋耦合在副热带SSTA影响赤道温跃层过程中的决定性作用, 并提出一种间接的、较“海洋通道”机制更为快速的机制: 副热带SSTA引发局地大气的气旋性响应, 继而引起局地海洋内区的上升流和其面向赤道一侧海洋内区的下沉流, 该下沉流造成的局部温跃层暖异常向着赤道传播, 导致赤道温跃层增暖。     

The responses of East Asian Summer monsoon to the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in an enhanced freshwater input simulation

We investigated the response of the East Asian Summer Monsoon （EASM） to a weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation （AMOC） and its mechanism in an enhanced freshwater input experiment （FW） by using a fully-coupled climate model. The response was a weakened EASM and the mechanisms can be explained as follows. The simulated weakened AMOC resulted in a drop in sea surface temperature （SST） in the North Atlantic （NA） and, correspondingly, an anomalous high sea level pressure （SLP） over the North American regions, which in turn increased the northeast surface winds across the equator in the eastern tropical Pacific （ETP）. The anomalous northeast winds then induced further upwelling in the ETP and stronger air/sea heat exchange, therefore leading to an anomalous cooling of the eastern tropical sea surface. As a result, the climatologic Hadley Circulation （HC） was weakened due to an anomalous stronger sinking of air in the ETP north of the equator, whereas the Walker Circulation （WC） in the western tropical Pacific （WTP） north of the equator was strengthened with an eastward-shifted upwelling branch. This feature was in agreement with the anomalous convergent winds in the WTP, and led to a weakened EASM and less East Asian summer precipitation （EASP）. Furthermore, comparison with previous freshwater experiments indicates that the strength of EASP could be influenced by the magnitude of the added freshwater.     

Sea surface temperature and subtropical front movement in the South Tasman Sea during the last 800 ka

Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude westerlies contribute to the ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean (SO), and drive changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and the global climate. As the westerlies control directly oceanic fronts, the movement of the subtropical front (STF) reflects the westerlies migration. Thus it is important to understand the relationships between STF movement and the weaterlies, ventilation of the deep SO, ice volume and atmospheric CO₂. To this end, we use two new high-resolution records from early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 20 (~800 ka) of sea surface temperature (SST) based on Uk’ 37 paleo-thermometer and benthic oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸OB) at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1170B in the southern Tasman Sea (STS), to construct linkages between the marine records and atmospheric proxies from Antarctic ice-cores. During the last 800 ka, the average SST (10.2°C) at Site 1170B is 1.8°C lower than today (annual average 12°C). The highest average SST of 11.6°C occurred during MIS 1, and the lowest average SST of 7.8°C occurred during MIS 2. The warmest and coldest records of 14.7°C and 6.2°C occurred in the MIS 5 and MIS 2, respectively. In the glacial-interglacial cycles of the last 800 ka, variability of reconstructed SST shows that the STF moved northward or southward more than 3° of latitude compared with its present location. In the warmest stage MIS 5, the STF shifted to its southernmost location of ~49°S. In contrast, in the coldest stage MIS 2, the STF moved to its northernmost location of ~43°S. In response to orbital cycles, the westerlies movement led ice volume and atmospheric CO₂ changes, but it was in phase with change in Antarctic atmospheric temperature. Ice volume only preceded atmospheric CO₂ only a little at the 23-ka precession band, lagged the atmospheric CO₂ at the 100-ka eccentricity band, and was in phase with atmospheric CO₂ at the 40-ka obliquity band.     

Early Pleistocene formation of the asymmetric east-west pattern of upper water structure in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

Surface-and subsurface-dwelling planktonic foraminifera from the upper 43 m of Hole A at the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 807,which was recovered from the western Pacific warm pool during ODP Leg 130,were analyzed for stable oxygen and carbon isotopes.By comparing these results with data from ODP Site 851 in the eastern equatorial Pacific,this study has reconstructed the paleoceanographic changes in upper ocean waters in the equatorial Pacific since 2.5 Ma.During the period from 1.6-1.4 Ma,the oxygen isotopes of surface and subsurface waters were found to markedly change in the western and eastern equatorial Pacific,further confirming the final formation of the well-defined asymmetric east-west (E-W) pattern at that time.This feature was similar to the zonal temperature gradient (sea surface temperature is higher in the west and lower in the east) and the asymmetric upper water structure (thermocline depth is deeper in the west and shallower in the east) in the modern equatorial Pacific.The zonal gradient change of subsurface water δ18O was greater than that of surface water δ18O,indicating that the formation of the asymmetric E-W pattern in the equatorial Pacific should be much more related to the shoaled thermocline and markedly decreased subsurface water temperature in the eastern equatorial Pacific.Moreover,since ～1.6 Ma,the carbon isotopic differences between surface and subsurface waters clearly decreased in the equatorial Pacific,and their long-term eccentricity periods changed from 400 ka to ～500 ka,reflecting the reorganization of the ocean carbon reservoir.This probably resulted from the deep water reorganization in the Southern Ocean at that time and its enhanced influence on the tropical Pacific (especially subsurface water).Our study demonstrates that the tropical ocean plays an important role in global climate change.     

Stable isotopes of modern herbivore tooth enamel in the Tibetan Plateau: Implications for paleoelevation reconstructions

Fossil tooth enamel from herbivores is considered one of the best proxies for paleoclimate and paleoelevation reconstructions, due to its low susceptibility to diagenetic alteration. A synthesis of oxygen and carbon isotope analyses of modern tooth enamel from herbivores such as Tibetan yaks, asses and antelopes is assessed. The average δ 13C(PDB) value of herbivore tooth enamel in the Lhasa and south Qiangtang terrains is-11.3‰± 1.1‰, whereas in the north Qiangtang and Hoh Xil terrains value is-10.2‰± 1.4‰...     

Sea surface temperature records of core ZY2 from the central mud area in the South Yellow Sea during last 6200 years and related effect of the Yellow Sea Warm Current

Sea surface temperature (SST) records in the South Yellow Sea during the last 6200 years are reconstructed by the unsaturation index of long-chain alkenones (K 37 U ’) in sediment core ZY2 from the central mud area.The SST records varied between 14.1 and 16.5°C (15.6°C on average),with 3 phases:(1) A high SST phase at 6.2-5.9 cal ka BP;(2) A low and intensely fluctuating SST phase at 5.9-2.3 cal ka BP;and (3) A high and stable SST phase since 2.3 cal ka BP.Variation of the SST records is similar to intensity of the Kuroshio Current (KC),and corresponds well in time to global cold climate events.However,the amplitude of the SST response to cooling events was significantly different in different phases.The SST response to global cooling event was weak while the KC was strong;and the SST response was strong while the KC was weak.The difference in amplitude of the SST response is possibly caused by the modulation effect of the Yellow Sea Warm Current which acts as a shelf branch of the KC and a compensating current induced by the East Asia winter monsoon.The warm waters brought by the Yellow Sea Warm Current cushion the SST decrease induced by climate cooling,and both the Kuroshio and East Asian winter monsoon play important roles in the modulation mechanism.The SST records display a periodicity of 1482 years.The same period was found in the KC records,indicating that variation of the SST records in the central South Yellow Sea is strongly affected by KC intensity.The same period was also found in Greenland ice cores and North Atlantic and Arabian Sea sediment cores,showing a regional response of marine environmental variability in the East China Seas to that in the global oceans.     

Indicators of δ13C and δ18O of gas hydrate-associated sediments

The analyses of δ13C and δ18O of gas hydrate-associated sediments from two cores on Hydrate Ridge in Cascadia convergent margin offshore Oregon, eastern North Pacific show the values of d 13C from -29.81‰ to -48.28‰ (PDB) and d 18O from 2.56‰ to 4.28‰ (PDB), which could be plotted into a group called typical carbonate minerals influenced by the methane in cold venting. Moreover, the values of d 13C and d 18O show a consistent trend in both cores from top to bottom with increasing of d 13C and decreasing of d 18O. This trend could be explained as an effect caused by the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in depth and the oxygen fraction during the formation of gas hydrate in depth together. These characteristics of d 13C and d 18O indicate that the gas hydrate-associated sediments are significantly different from the normal marine carbonates, and they are deeply influenced by the formation and evolution of gas hydrate. So, the distinct characteristics of d 13C and d 18O of gas hydrate-associated sediments could be undoubtedly believed as one of parameters to determine the presence of gas hydrates in other unknown marine sediment cores.     

Paleoproductivity variations in the southern Okinawa Trough since the middle Holocene: Calcareous nannofossil records

Based on 17 AMS 14 C age data,we reconstructed high-resolution records of sea surface primary productivity(PP) in the southern Okinawa Trough(MD05-2908) over the last 6.8 ka BP using the calcareous nannofossil carbon isotope and the relative percentage contents of Florisphaera profunda indexes.The underlying mechanism controlling the sea surface PP was then discussed.The sea surface PP,indicated by the coccolith δ 13 C and %Fp conversional equations,decreased with some fluctuations since 6.8 ka BP.This decrease may be connected to the decreased terrigenous input resulting from the reduced East Asian Summer Monsoon(EASM) precipitation.Both the periods of 4-2 ka BP(PME) and 6.8-4.8 ka BP were characterized by relatively higher PP.The former was mainly controlled by the weakening of the Kuroshio Current,whereas the latter mainly resulted from the greater terrigenous input associated with the stronger EASM.     

High-latitude controls of thermocline nutrients and low latitude biological productivity

The ocean's biological pump strips nutrients out of the surface waters and exports them into the thermocline and deep waters. If there were no return path of nutrients from deep waters, the biological pump would eventually deplete the surface waters and thermocline of nutrients; surface biological productivity would plummet. Here we make use of the combined distributions of silicic acid and nitrate to trace the main nutrient return path from deep waters by upwelling in the Southern Ocean and subsequent entrainment into subantarctic mode water. We show that the subantarctic mode water, which spreads throughout the entire Southern Hemisphere and North Atlantic Ocean, is the main source of nutrients for the thermocline. We also find that an additional return path exists in the northwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, where enhanced vertical mixing, perhaps driven by tides, brings abyssal nutrients to the surface and supplies them to the thermocline of the North Pacific. Our analysis has important implications for our understanding of large-scale controls on the nature and magnitude of low-latitude biological productivity and its sensitivity to climate change.     

Meiyu in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River since 1736

＂Yu Xue Fen Cun＂ records during the Qing Dynasty are used to identify the starting and ending dates of Meiyu at the period of 1736-1911. These results, along with the instrumental meteorological records, are used to reconstruct the series of length and precipitation of Meiyu during 1736-2000 over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The characteristics of Meiyu are analyzed since 1736. Moreover, the strength of East Asian Summer Monsoon and locations of rainband are discussed, based on the relationship between the length of Meiyu and the Index of East Asian Summer Monsoon. It is found that the starting and ending dates and the length of Meiyu have significant interannual and interdecadal variations. Apart from 7-8 years, 20-30 years and 40 years cycles for the lengths of Meiyu, the centennial oscillation is also presented. The length of Meiyu, monsoon rainband movement over eastern China, and the strength of East Asian Summer Monsoon （EASM） have a very good correlation, which can be expressed in the following： during the periods of 1736-1770, 1821-1870 and 1921-1970, the EASM was stronger, and the monsoon rainband was located in North China and South China easily, corresponding to the decreased length of Meiyu. Whereas during the periods of 1771-1820, 1871-1920 and 1971-2000, the EASM was weaker and monsoon rainband usually stopped at the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, corresponding to the increased length of Meiyu.     

Quaternary high-resolution opal record and its paleoproductivity implication at ODP Site 1143,southern South China Sea

The correlation of opal content and MAR with oxygen isotopic records of benthonic foraminifera at Site 1143, southern South China Sea indicates that,since about 900 ka,the increasing opal content and MAR during the interglacial periods is inferred to reflect the bigher surface productivity ,for the intensified summer monsoon during the interglacial periods would result in the enhanced upwelling and nutrient supply,Time-sequence spectral analyses of oxygen isotopic record ,opal content and MAR at intervals of 0-900 ka reveal that the changes of surface productivity were dominantly forced by the variations of the earth orbital cycles.     

Distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis><Superscript>18</Superscript>O in surface snow along a transect from Zhongshan Station to Dome A,East Antarctica

Surface snow samples were collected during the 14th (1997/1998) and 24th (2007/2008) Chinese National Antarctica Research Expeditions along a transect from Zhongshan Station to Dome A. The stable oxygen isotope ratios of these samples were measured to investigate their relationships with temperature and geographical parameters (latitude, longitude, altitude and distance to the coast). The results reveal a strong positive correlation (R=0.945) between δ¹⁸O and mean annual temperature, with a gradient of 0.84‰°C ^–1, which is a little higher than that in Terre Adelie Land. Regression analyses also show that the δ¹⁸O of surface snow is strongly correlated with distance to the coast (R=0.942), latitude (R=0.942), and altitude (R=0.941). But no significant correlation was found between δ¹⁸O and longitude in study area. Altitude should be the most important factor influencing the δ¹⁸O distribution because of distinctive topography. The δ¹⁸O-altitude and T-altitude gradients along this transect are determined to be –1.1‰/100 m and 1.31°C/100 m, respectively.     

Relationship between climatic conditions and the relative abundance of modern C3 and C4 plants in three regions around the North Pacific

Using −24‰ and −14‰ as the endpoints of stable carbon isotopic composition of total organic carbon (δ¹³C_TOC) of surface soil under pure C₃ and C₄ vegetation, and surface soil δ¹³C_TOC data from eastern China, Australia and the Great Plains of North Amer- ica, we estimate the relative abundance of C₃/C₄ plants (i.e., the ratio of C₃ or C₄ biomass to local primary production) in modern vegetation for each region. The relative abundance of modern C₃/C₄ vegetation from each region is compared to the corresponding climatic parameters (mean annual temperature and precipitation) to explore the relationship between relative C₄ abundance and climate. The results indicate that temperature controls the growth of C₄ plants. However, even where temperature is high enough for the growth of C₄ plants, they will only dominate the landscape when precipitation declines as temperatures increase. Our results are consistent with those of other investigations of the geographic distribution of modern C₄ plant species. Therefore, our results provide an important reference for interpretation of past C₃/C₄ relative abundance records in these three regions.     

Stalagmite-inferred Holocene precipitation in northern Guizhou Province,China, and asynchronous termination of the Climatic Optimum in the Asian monsoon territory

An absolute-dated, bi-decadal-resolution, stalagmite oxygen-isotopic time series from Shigao Cave reveals the evolution of summer monsoon precipitation over the past 9.9 ka BP in northern Guizhou Province, Southwest China. The  18O-inferred climate conditions are divisible into three distinct stages: (1) a maximum humid era from 9.9-6.6 ka BP; (2) a gradual declining precipitation interval between 6.6-1.6 ka BP; and (3) a relatively low precipitation time window after 1.6 ka BP. Consistency of contemporaneous stalagmite Holocene 18O records between Shigao and other caves in the Indian and East Asian monsoon realms support the effect of primary orbital solar forcings on monsoonal precipitation. However, statistical analysis shows a significant spatial asynchroneity of the Holocene Optimum termination in the Asian monsoon territory. The Holocene Optimum ended at 7.2-7.4 ka BP in Oman, located in the Indian monsoon region, and at 5.6-5.8 ka BP in Central China, in the East Asian monsoon zone. In Southwest China, the termination occurred between these periods, at 6.6-7.0 ka BP, and was influenced by both monsoon systems. We propose that this spatially asynchronous ending of Holocene Optimum in Asia may be attributed to sea surface temperature changes in the western tropical Pacific, which is a primary moisture source for the East Asian monsoon.     

基于遥感资料的夏季广东沿岸上升流分布特征

【目的】研究广东沿岸夏季上升流的时空变化规律及其对沿岸区域气候的影响。【方法】采用Sobel梯度算法,综合MODIS海表温度和QuikSCAT海面风场资料对2003年夏季广东沿海上升流的范围、强度、持续时间等时空分布特征进行综合分析。【结果】广东沿岸海域存在明显的上升流现象,整体呈现强弱强的特征,在7月初出现具有明显上升流特征的低温表层水,至7月底低温水活动减弱至最低,于8月初又存在一个增强的过程;同时,上升流并非始终稳定存在。【结论】对比海表温度数据和风场资料可以发现,上升流的强度、持续时间等与风场的变化存在密切联系,风场是上升流的一个重要影响因素,此外,沿岸水团的分布也是影响广东沿岸上升流空间分布的重要因素。     

Possible solar forcing of climate variability in the past 4000 years inferred from a proxy record at the southern margin of Tarim Basin

A ca. 4000a decadal-resolution climate proxy record of the mean grain-size from a lake (or mash) sediment at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin, correlates visually with the atmospheric 14C record from tree ring (residual △^14C, solar proxy) and the GISP2 ice core δ^18O record (temperature proxy). In general, △^14C maxima (solar minima) are coincident with cold (wet) periods in the study area and cold periods in the Greenland ice core. Power spectrum analysis revealed statistically significant periodicities of 196a, 121a, 97a, 62a, 45a and 33--30a, which are similar to those principal solar-oscillation periods as inferred from the atmospheric radiocarbon and other proxy records. Possible solar forcing is addressed to be the main driving forcing of climate change in the southern margin of Tarim Basin.