Variations of opal accumulation rates and paleoproductivity over the past 12 Ma at ODP Site 1143, southern South China Sea

The biogenic silica analysis was performed on 463 samples from ODP 184 Site 1143, the southern South China Sea. The results show that the opal content and MAR evidently increased between 12.3 and 5.7 Ma, which was contemporary with the high carbonate and total MARs, reflecting the high biogenic productivity in the late Miocene.This demonstrates the occurrence of the late Miocene "Biogenie Bloom Event" in the southern South China Sea, corresponding to the late Miocene-early Pliocene "Biogenic Bloom Event" in the Indian-Pacific Ocean. The increases of opal content and MAR after the middle Pleistocene (about 0.7 Ma)is inferred to result from the enhanced upwelling and nutrient supply, which was induced by the intensified monsoon circulation after the "Mid-Pleistocene Revolution".     

Carbonate dissolution and deep-water paleoceanography of the South China Sea since the Middle Pleistocene

Based on the data of oxygen isotope, micropaleontology and paleomagnetism, we set up the detailed chronology of Core 17957-2 from the southern South China Sea and discuss the change of carbonate dissolution over the last 800 ka. Down-core variation of carbonate content records the “Pacific-type” cycle of higher glacial values and lower interglacial values, though the core lies above the modern lysocline. Carbonate dissolution indices indicate that several severe dissolution of CaCO₃happened during the transition from interglacial to glacial stages. Spectral analyses of these indices show that the carbonate dissolution periodicities are mainly made up of 500 ka and 100 ka. Compared with the cycles of carbonate dissolution of the Indian Ocean, the long-term (500-ka) periodicity reflects the characteristic of the deep-water circulation of the oceans.     

Changes in the content of eolian iron during the past 900 ka and the implications

In this study, total Fe2O3 content (Fet) in two parallel sections from the central Loess Plateau (Xifeng and Changwu) is analyzed to address the variations of eolian iron in the past 900 ka. The obtained timeseries indicate that Fet Vvalues in some glacial intervals are comparable to that of interglacial periods and its oscillations do not generally correspond to the long-term glacial-interglacial changes. Rather,it exhibits higher frequency fluctuations without detectable 100 ka period, but with a strong 20 ka period and a clear 40ka period. The combination of 20 ka and 40 ka periods suggest that eolian iron content was relatively independent of glacial-interglacial changes, but more strongly influenced by the insolation changes in the northern hemisphere. Higher iron content was observed for the S5-1 soil that is correlative to marine δ^18O stage 13. In marine records, this stage is characterized by higher δ^13C values, suggesting that the event is of global significance.     

Modelled atmospheric temperatures and global sea levels over the past million years

Marine records of sediment oxygen isotope compositions show that the Earth's climate has gone through a succession of glacial and interglacial periods during the past million years. But the interpretation of the oxygen isotope records is complicated because both isotope storage in ice sheets and deep-water temperature affect the recorded isotopic composition. Separating these two effects would require long records of either sea level or deep-ocean temperature, which are currently not available. Here we use a coupled model of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets and ocean temperatures, forced to match an oxygen isotope record for the past million years compiled from 57 globally distributed sediment cores, to quantify both contributions simultaneously. We find that the ice-sheet contribution to the variability in oxygen isotope composition varied from ten per cent in the beginning of glacial periods to sixty per cent at glacial maxima, suggesting that strong ocean cooling preceded slow ice-sheet build-up. The model yields mutually consistent time series of continental mean surface temperatures between 40 and 80 degrees N, ice volume and global sea level. We find that during extreme glacial stages, air temperatures were 17 +/- 1.8 degrees C lower than present, with a 120 +/- 10 m sea level equivalent of continental ice present.     

Relations between sedimentary sequence and paleoclimatic changes during last 200 ka in the southern South China Sea

Core NS-93-5 was taken from the mild slope terrace of the southern South China Sea (SCS), which has preserved the steadiness depositional record of the normal marine environment since late Quaternary. Sedimentary sequence and oxygen isotopic stratigraphy of high resolution in the near 200 ka of the southern SCS has been established. By the comparative analysis with GISP2's ice core, the depositional record of D/O's events 1-21 and Heinrich's events H1-H6 in the southern SCS that reflected the quick climate change in short time scale since the last interglacial stage is revealed, which indicates that in the last 200 ka in the southern SCS and the Arctic area there was tele-connection of paleoclimate and the unstability of the Western Pacific Warm Pool. This note shows that the sedimentary layers order of this sea area classified by color identification and by oxygen isotope stratum has the very good corresponding relation. The color feature of sediment changes along with the climate and the former arranges a stagnant time of 1-1.5 ka generally. It was suggested that the paleoclimatic changes resulted in the rise and fall of sea level, the open and close of strait thoroughfare and the upwelling activity, which causes the changes of the oxidation-reduction condition of deep water along with the dynamic environment in this sea area, thus producing the different sediment features of sea bed. In addition, a volcanic ash layer, about 17 cm thick, has been found in the transition of oxygen isotope 4/5 stage, which is related with the Toba's volcanic eruption.     

印度洋赤道海岭钙质软泥天然热释光变化特征与冰川旋回关系

赤道东经90°海岭的MD81349活塞柱状岩芯包含300ka以来类型丰富的环境变化信息.作者应用天然热释光技术对岩芯的全样沉积物和浮游有孔虫壳体进行分析测定,首次得到与氧同位素分期呈良好对应关系的天然热释光变化曲线.实验数据表明,天然热释光的高强度区和低强度分别能够指示间冰期与冰期.初步分析显示,天然热释光强度变化在一定程度上与碳酸钙含量无关;在远洋型抱球虫软泥物质组成基本一致的情况下,其变化特征极有可能受到不同气候条件下形成的有孔虫壳体的晶体类型、晶格缺陷形式、杂质元素的控制.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

基于中国南方石笋记录的古气候周期探讨

 通过对葫芦洞、三宝洞和董哥洞末次盛冰期（~30 000 aBP）以来的石笋氧同位素数据序列进行连续小波变换。其结果显示在中国南方区域冰期的气候波动较全新世剧烈,盛冰期的气候波动较冰消期剧烈。在全新世阶段,董哥洞和三宝洞石笋氧同位素的周期均具有显著的三阶段特征。但在千百年尺度上,两地气候周期的长度和强度并不尽相同,董哥洞石笋氧同位素的周期信号相对较弱。其原因是董哥洞区域受西南季风和东亚季风的共同影响,二者之间的反相位关系削弱和改变了气候变化的千年周期。这一特征反映了不同季风区域、不同周期的气候变化主导因素可能有所差异。分析结果同时显示,在~3 000 aBP,东亚区域气候模式可能发生了重大转折。     

10Be in quartz gravel from the Gobi Desert and evolutionary history of alluvial sedimentation in the Ejina Basin,Inner Mongolia,China

Reconstructing the evolutionary history of the Gobi deserts developed from alluvial sediments in arid regions has great significance in unraveling changes in both tectonic activity and climate. However, such work is limited by a lack of suitable dating material preserved in the Gobi Desert, but cosmogenic ¹⁰Be has great potential to date the Gobi deserts. In the present study, ¹⁰Be in quartz gravel from the Gobi deserts of the Ejina Basin in Inner Mongolia of China has been measured to assess exposure ages. Results show that the Gobi Desert in the northern margin of the basin developed 420 ka ago, whereas the Gobi Desert that developed from alluvial plains in the Heihe River drainage basin came about during the last 190 ka. The latter developed gradually northward and eastward to modern terminal lakes of the river. These temporal and spatial variations in the Gobi deserts are a consequence of alluvial processes influenced by Tibetan Plateau uplift and tectonic activities within the Ejina Basin. Possible episodes of Gobi Desert development within the last 420 ka indicate that the advance/retreat of alpine glaciers during glacial/interglacial cycles might have been the dominant factor to influencing the alluvial intensity and water volume in the basin. Intense floods and large water volumes would mainly occur during the short deglacial periods.     

Environmental and rock magnetic studies of rapid fluctuations of Asian summer monsoon during the last interglacial maximum (MIS 5e)

A systematic environmental rock magnetic study of a century-millennial scale loesspaleosol sequence of the last interglacial in the Jiuzhoutai well section, Lanzhou, on the western Loess Plateau demonstrates that Asian summer nonsoon experienced fast and large oscillations manifesting as three peaks and two valleys lasing about 1–2 ka. Valley 4 with a central age of 120.5 ka is the most evident, suggesting that summer monsoon was weakened nearly to a level in glaciations. This indicates that summer monsoon has a nature of instability in centurymillennial scale change in the last interglacial.     

Dynamic control on grain-size distribution of terrigenous sediments in the western South China Sea: Implication for East Asian monsoon evolution

High-resolution oxygen isotope stratigraphy of Core MD05-2901, which is located off eastern Vietnam in the western South China Sea （SCS）, was established and indicated that the core spans a time period of the past 450 ka. Based on the bulk density, fractional porosity and lithogenic content of the sediments, terrigenous mass accumulation rate （TMAR） was obtained, which is 4.9-6.0 g cm^-2 ka^-1 on average during interglacial stages, higher than that during glacial stages, i.e. 1.9-5.0 g cm^-2 ka^-1, which is different from northern and southern SCS which show higher TMAR in glacial stages. By principle component analysis of grain size distribution of all the samples, two main control factors （F1 and F2） were obtained, which are responsible for about 80% variance of granularity. The contents of grain size population 1.26-2.66 μm% and 10.8-14.3 μm% which are sensible to F1 show high-frequency fluctuation, and correlate well with the summer insolation at 15^o N. They exhibit a distinct cyclicity with frequencies near 23 ka and 13 ka, in contrast to a strong frequency peak near 100 ka obtained in proxies 4.24-7.42 μm% and 30.1-43.7 μm% controlled mainly by F2. The sedimentary character of this part of the SCS was controlled by variations of input flux from two main source areas, namely the southwest and north SCS, which were transported by different circulations of surface current forced by East Asian summer monsoon and winter monsoon respectively. We believe that the East Asian summer monsoon has fluctuated with high frequency and been forced by changes in solar insolation in low latitude associated with precession and half precession, while ice-volume forcing is probably a primary factor in determining the strength and timing of the East Asian winter monsoon but with less important insolation forcing.     

Millennial-scale monsoonal climatic change from paleosol sequences on the Chinese western Loess Plateau and Tibetan Plateau: a brief summary and review

This paper summarizes the work from the INQUA 1997 Project "Response of soil formation to short-warm-episodes of Asian summer monsoon" and its seeded related international and domestic grants. It reviews the effects of the millennial monsoonal changes on the loess- paleosols of the Chinese Loess and Tibetan Plateaus. High-resolution proxy records of pedogenesis and monsoons demonstrate that both Asian winter and summer monsoons were unstable and synchronously and inversely coupled during the last glaciation. During that time rapid episodic cycles of cold surges and warm enhancements spanned only ca. 1-2 ka in high- frequency domain. Sub-Milankovitch cycles (6-8 ka) of progressive cooling or weakening in low- frequency domain generally resembled the pattern of the North Atlantic climatic change. However, during the last interglacial, Asian winter and summer monsoons seemed to vary independently, the former being stable and the later unstable. Soil formation seems to occur in surprisingly fast response to the summer monsoon warm enhancements, resulting in weakly or moderately developed paleosol sequences. North Atlantic and polar cold air surges though the westerlies and other paths, and the north-south swing of the westerlies beside the Tibetan Plateau, may be the alternative mechanisms for the rapid monsoonal changes during the last glacial. But in the last interglacial, the summer monsoons worked largely independently.     

青藏高原：全球气候变化的驱动机与放大器──Ⅰ 新生代气候变化的基本特征

除周期性气候波动外，新生代气候变化的基本特征是阶梯状气候变冷、波动幅度的不断增加和气候波动周期的转变。深海氧同位素记录表明新生代曾发生至少三次快速变冷事件，它们分别发生在３６，１５和２．４ＭａＢＰ前后。根据来自北大西洋的深海氧同位素记录，第四纪气候变化的趋势是波动幅度增加、频率降低。Ｂ／Ｍ界限附近，气候波动周期由４１ｋａ转变为１００ｋａ。黄土高原上黄土地层与磁化率研究揭示，现代东亚季风出现于２．４Ｍａ前，并于１．１和０．６ＭａＢＰ前后两度加强，现在的季风环流形势形成于０．６ＭａＢＰ，米兰柯维奇理论不能解释上述新生代气候的阶梯状变冷、第四纪气候的阶段性和东亚季风的形成及加强，因此除轨道因素外，还有别的因素控制气候变化。     

Benthic foraminiferal δ~(13)C minimum events in the southeastern Okhotsk Sea over the last 180 ka

A total of six d13C minimum events,i.e.,VI,V,IV,III,II,and I,were observed via a stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of infaunal benthic foraminifera Uvigerina spp.in gravity core OS03-1 in the southeastern Okhotsk Sea over the last 180 ka.These events occurred at112–109,102–90,85–76,57–54,44–40,and 17–10 ka BP.The largest negative excursions reached 2.5%in event V and were greater than 1%in the other events.We proposed that all d13C minimum events were caused by the increase in sea surface water productivity,the weakened formation of Okhotsk Sea intermediate water,and the enhancement of the oxygen minimum zone.The negative excursions were unaffected by methane hydrate destabilization and subsequent methane release based on the results obtained by using archaeal lipid markers.     

Solar forced transient evolution of Pacific upper water thermal structure during the Holocene in an earth system model of intermediate complexity

Forced by transient solar activities since 7 ka,the thermal structures of the Pacific upper water at boreal winter are featured by an enhanced response of 3-dimensional Western Pacific Warm Pool(WPWP) in an Earth system model of Intermediate Complexity at centennial scales.During solar maximum periods,the magnitude of surface ocean temperature variations is 30% larger in the western tropical Pacific than in the Ni o3 region,while at subsurface,it is 40% larger in the subtropical North Pacific than in the western Equatorial Pacific.They compromise stronger zonal and meridional thermal gradients in surface and subsurface Pacific respectively which are both linearly responded to solar forcing at centennial periods.The surface gradient is most sensitive at 208-year period while the subsurface gradient shows more significance at periods longer than 208-year.Also noteworthy are two differences:(1) the phase lags at these periods of surface gradient are slightly smaller than that of subsurface;(2) the 148-year and 102-year periods in surface gradient are lost in subsurface gradient.These modeled features preliminary confirm the centennial fluctuations of WPWP in paleo-proxies and a potential solar forcing during the Holocene.     

Changes in palaeoproductivity of Genggahai Lake over the past 16 ka in the Gonghe Basin, northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Sequential samples of a 7.82-m sediment core from Genggahai Lake in the central Gonghe Basin,controlled with 12 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14 C dates,have been analysed for total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents,carbon isotope of bulk organic matter (δ 13 C org),and carbonate content.Plant macrofossils and stem encrustations,derived mainly from the species of P.pectinatus,M.spicatum and Chara spp.,were identified,and they dominated the aquatic plant community of the lake.Alternations of plant macrofossils of Chara spp.and the vascular species reflect the changing productivity of the lake over time.In such a shallow lake,the carbonate content is highly related to photosynthesis of aquatic macrophytes and thus indirectly indicates variations in productivity,consistent with a quantitative estimate of palaeoproductivity.Based on these results,the palaeoproductivity history was reconstructed over the past ca.16 ka.The lake was formed or recharged at 15.3 cal ka BP,as indicated by aeolian sand deposits at the core base.A marked increase in palaeoproductivity occurred from 15.3 to 11.6 cal ka BP.Between 11.6 and 9.2 cal ka BP,a sharply increased water-level,modulated probably by the enhanced Asian summer monsoon,might have exceeded the optimum water depth for macrophyte vegetation,causing a marked decline in coverage of aquatic macrophytes and low palaeoproductivity.The palaeoproductivity appeared to be high in the early stage of the period from 9.2 to 7.4 cal ka BP,and then decreased at approximately 8.6 cal ka BP.The palaeoproductivity sustained an overall high level between 7.4 and 2.1 cal ka BP,and decreased gradually since 2.1 cal ka BP.Our results suggest that the variability of Genggahai Lake palaeoproductivity may be associated with fluctuations of the lake level controlled by the strength of the Asian summer monsoon,probably indicating changes in the Asian summer monsoon.     

Comparison of paleoclimatic characteristics between monsoon and westerly areas, China

For past decades there have been many studies on the climate features during the last interglacial and glacial periods. A comparison between the loess record of western China with that of monsoon areas shows some regional differences. ( i) Generally, the climate of the Yili region since the late Pleistocene was dry, with fluctuations. Late Pleistocene climate change in the study area can be divided into 5 stages, corresponding to 5 marine isotopic stages (MIS 1-MISS), (ii) Evidence from grain size composition, magnetic susceptibility, carbonate content, pollen assemblage and geochemistry shows that the climate during the last glacial period was instable. During MIS4 the westerly winds were strong and the humidity was relatively high. Compared with the early stage, MIS2 was dry. In MIS3, westerly winds were relatively weak; pedogenesis prevailed, forming paleo-sols. (iii) In contrast to the Loess Plateau the deposition rate of dust at the early stage was higher than at the late stage of the last galical in the Yili region. The strongest wind event occurred at about 24 kaBP instead of 18 kaBP. (iv) Variations in the grain size indicate that the westerly winds decreased since the deglaciation, but dust accumulation continued until the late Holocene. High carbonate contents, low ratio of Rb/Sr and lack of soil development imply that the climate was dry during the early and middle Holocene. Since the late Holocene the climate became relatively wet and the soil was developed.     

Paleoproductivity records for the past 30 ka in the southern Nansha area, the South China Sea

This note presents productivity variations for the past 30 ka in the southern Nansha area, the South China Sea, from the gravity core 17962 (7°11′N, 112° 5′E, core length: 8 m, water depth: 1 968 m). Estimated surface productivity demonstrates that at the last glacial maximum the productivity was about 1.6 times as much as that in the Holocene, and the change may be ascribed to an increase of terrestrial nutrients as sea level lowered in the glacial time.