A late Eemian aridity pulse in central Europe during the last glacial inception

Investigating the processes that led to the end of the last interglacial period is relevant for understanding how our ongoing interglacial will end, which has been a matter of much debate (see, for example, refs 1, 2). A recent ice core from Greenland demonstrates climate cooling from 122,000 years ago driven by orbitally controlled insolation, with glacial inception at 118,000 years ago. Here we present an annually resolved, layer-counted record of varve thickness, quartz grain size and pollen assemblages from a maar lake in the Eifel (Germany), which documents a late Eemian aridity pulse lasting 468 years with dust storms, aridity, bushfire and a decline of thermophilous trees at the time of glacial inception. We interpret the decrease in both precipitation and temperature as an indication of a close link of this extreme climate event to a sudden southward shift of the position of the North Atlantic drift, the ocean current that brings warm surface waters to the northern European region. The late Eemian aridity pulse occurred at a 65 degrees N July insolation of 416 W m(-2), close to today's value of 428 W m(-2) (ref. 9), and may therefore be relevant for the interpretation of present-day climate variability.     

三门峡王官与武威沙沟黄土记录中的末次间冰期向末次冰期转换期的暖性回返事件

河南三门峡王官剖面与甘肃武威沙沟剖面捕捉到了末次间冰期向末次冰期转换时期发生于72 ka前后持续时间约为2 ka的一暖性回返事件,两剖面的冬、夏季风替代指标对该暖性回返事件的反应在时间上大致同步(其时间段约为71～73 ka,在71.4～72.1 ka前后该暖性回返事件最强盛),暗示该暖性回返事件在东亚季风区可能是一普遍存在的气候突变事件.鉴于该暖性回返事件在全球其他地区的海洋、陆地、冰芯记录中也有较普遍的反映,我们认为该事件很可能是一次发生于气候转型期的全球普遍存在的暖性突变事件.     

Old radiocarbon ages in the southwest Pacific Ocean during the last glacial period and deglaciation

Marine radiocarbon (14C) dates are widely used for dating oceanic events and as tracers of ocean circulation, essential components for understanding ocean-climate interactions. Past ocean ventilation rates have been determined by the difference between radiocarbon ages of deep-water and surface-water reservoirs, but the apparent age of surface waters (currently approximately 400 years in the tropics and approximately 1,200 years in Antarctic waters) might not be constant through time, as has been assumed in radiocarbon chronologies and palaeoclimate studies. Here we present independent estimates of surface-water and deep-water reservoir ages in the New Zealand region since the last glacial period, using volcanic ejecta (tephras) deposited in both marine and terrestrial sediments as stratigraphic markers. Compared to present-day values, surface-reservoir ages from 11,900 14C years ago were twice as large (800 years) and during glacial times were five times as large (2,000 years), contradicting the assumption of constant surface age. Furthermore, the ages of glacial deep-water reservoirs were much older (3,000-5,000 years). The increase in surface-to-deep water age differences in the glacial Southern Ocean suggests that there was decreased ocean ventilation during this period.     

Biological records of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment changes from Guanzhong area, Shaanxi Province during the last glacial maximum

We have collected a suite ofPaleoloxodon naumanni-Coelodonta antiquitatis fossils from a river terrace profile between Xi’an and Xianyang cities in Guanzhong Area, Shaanxi Province. A detailed examination of the fossils, together with¹⁴C determinations and pollen analyses, have enabled us to reconstruct preliminary features of climate and environment changes and their evolutionary processes, within the last glacial maximum (LGM): about 20 ka ago, the climate was basically cool and wet, and was favourable for the existence ofPaleoloxodon naumanni-Coelodonta antiquitatis fauna. This was followed by a cold, dry phase which was no longer suitable for this type of faunal suite, causing the death of a large number of mammalian assemblages. The available evidence indicates the existence of cold-dry and cool-wet climate and environment fluctuations during the LGM. The cool-wet stage within the LGM reflects a Heinrich event occurring in the high latitude areas, proving the existence of a teleconnection between polar-high latitude areas and the Loess Plateau.     

Variations of organic carbon isotopic composition and its environmental significance during the last glacial on western Chinese Loess Plateau

The last glacial period is characterized by a cold and dry climate with low atmospheric CO2 concentration. The relatively arid climate and low CO2 concentration are favorable to the growth of C4 plants, but the low temperature limits the development of th…     

Turbidite deposition in the southern South China Sea during the last glacial: Evidence from grain-size and major elements records

High-resolution grain size and major element geochemical measurements were performed on the marine sediments of Core MD05-2895 to help understand the formation of turbidite sequences. Grain-size results show that these turbidite sediments contain more coarse sediment grains than normal marls. The coarse sediment grains are mostly derived from relict sediments on the Sunda Shelf. Relict sediments are composed mainly of quartz, feldspar, tephra and a few titaniferous or ferruginous heavy minerals. Corresponding to the concentration of these minerals, increases in Si/Al, K/Al, Ti/Al and Fe/Al ratios are observed in the turbidite layers. As all the observed turbidite sequences were deposited during the last glacial, the occurrence of these turbidity events is implied to be closely related to instabilities in sea-level-induced sediment supply. We suggest that deposition of sediment particles from a single turbidity current is usually controlled by a counterbalance between gravity and buoyancy, with the interaction of individual grains being of minor importance.     

Vast laminated diatom mat deposits from the west low-latitude Pacific Ocean in the last glacial period

Diatoms are one of the predominant contributors to global carbon fixation by accounting for over 40% of total oceanic primary production and dominate export production. They play a significant role in marine biogeochemistry cycle. The diatom mat deposits are results of vast diatoms bloom. By analysis of diatom mats in 136°00′--140°00′E, 15°00′--21°00′N, Eastern Philippines Sea, we identified the species of the diatoms as giant Ethmodiscus rex （Wallich） Hendey. AMS 14C dating shows that the sediments rich in diatom mats occurred during 16000--28600 a B.P., which means the bloom mainly occurred during the last glacial period, while there are no diatom mat deposits in other layers. Preliminary analysis indicates that Antarctic Intermediate Water （AAIW） expanded northward and brought silicate-rich water into the area, namely, silicon leakage processes caused the bloom of diatoms. In addition, the increase of iron input is one of the main reasons for the diatom bloom.     

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.     

A climatic reversal at the last interglacial-last glacial transition recorded in the loess section at Zhaitang, Beijing

A weakly developed paleosol was identified at S1-L1 transition of the loess section of Zhaitang, Beijing. This paleosol may represent a climatic reversal which is associated with the strengthening in summer monsoon and correlated well with the climatic regression event documented in the paleoclimate records from Greenland ice, marine sediments and European pollen at the last interglacial-last glacial transition.     

Global mean temperature changes during the last millennium

A synthetic study is made on the global or hemispheric mean temperature series for the last millennium worked out by Mann et al., Jones et al., Crowley and Lowery, and Briffa. The global mean temperature series reconstructed by using proxy data at 30 sites by Wang et al. and simulations from AD 1000 to 2000 by energy balance model are described and compared with the series of others. Wang's series gives greater variability and shows the highest correlation coefficient (0.83) with the simulation results. Uncertainties in the reconstructions and simulations are discussed. The errors in reconstructing a global mean temperature series according to 30 sites as used in the research are estimated. Wang's series indicate that temperature average for the 11th century is higher than the mean of the last millennium. It infers that the Medieval Warm Period predominated to some extent over the globe. However, the 20th century is no doubt the warmest century during the last millennium.     

Possible solar origin of the 1,470-year glacial climate cycle demonstrated in a coupled model

Many palaeoclimate records from the North Atlantic region show a pattern of rapid climate oscillations, the so-called Dansgaard-Oeschger events, with a quasi-periodicity of approximately 1,470 years for the late glacial period. Various hypotheses have been suggested to explain these rapid temperature shifts, including internal oscillations in the climate system and external forcing, possibly from the Sun. But whereas pronounced solar cycles of approximately 87 and approximately 210 years are well known, a approximately 1,470-year solar cycle has not been detected. Here we show that an intermediate-complexity climate model with glacial climate conditions simulates rapid climate shifts similar to the Dansgaard-Oeschger events with a spacing of 1,470 years when forced by periodic freshwater input into the North Atlantic Ocean in cycles of approximately 87 and approximately 210 years. We attribute the robust 1,470-year response time to the superposition of the two shorter cycles, together with strongly nonlinear dynamics and the long characteristic timescale of the thermohaline circulation. For Holocene conditions, similar events do not occur. We conclude that the glacial 1,470-year climate cycles could have been triggered by solar forcing despite the absence of a 1,470-year solar cycle.     

Diatoms from the southwestern continental slope, South China Sea, and their paleoenvironmental significance since the last glacial times

A quantitative study was undertaken on diatoms from cores (SA08-34) obtained from the southwestern continental slope of the South China Sea (SCS). A total of 165 diatom species belonging to 45 genera were identified. We constructed a stratigraphic subdivision and correlation according to the characteristics of diatom assemblages together with ¹⁴C dating and carbonate analysis. We also discuss the sedimentary environment in the sea area since the last glacial times. The research shows that the diatom assemblages coincide with interglacial and glacial times, and changes in diatom abundance reflect the instability of the climate in the southern part of the SCS, such that short-term, temperature descending events correlate with the interglacial interval. The abundance of diatoms is relevant to interglacial and glacial times, since high abundance values were associated with an interglacial interval, and low abundance values with the last glacial maximum. We assume that strong upwelling developed in the interglacial interval, the development of which was influenced by variations of monsoons in the East Asian region.     

Calcium carbonate pump during Quaternary glacial cycles in the South China Sea

The preservation and dissolution of calcium carbonate (namely calcium carbonate pump) controls the pH of seawater in global oceans by its buffer effect, and in turn plays a significant role in global changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration. The results from measured carbonate contents over the past 2 Ma at ODP Site 1143 in the South China Sea provide high-resolution records to explore the process of the calcium carbonate pump during Quaternary glacial cycles. The results indicate statistically that the highest carbonate accumulation rate leads the lightest δ^18O by about 3.6ka at transitions from glacials to interglacials, and that the strongest carbonate dissolution lags the lightest δ^18O by about 5.6 ka at transitions from interglacials to glacials. The calcium carbonate pump releases CO2 to the at mosphere atthe glacial-interglacial transitions, but transports atmospheric CO2 to deep sea at the interglacial-glacial transitions.The adjustable function of the calcium carbonate pump for the deep-sea CO3^2- concentration directly controls parts of global changes in atmospheric CO2, and contributes the global carbon cycle system during the Quaternary.     

Late quaternary glacial cycle and precessional period of clay mineral assemblages in the western pacific warm pool

Variability of clay mineral assemblages in the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) over the past 370 ka shows the prominent glacial-interglacial cyclicity. Smectite (62%?C91%) is the dominant clay mineral, with decreased contents during interglacials while increased in glacials. In contrast, variations in chlorite (4%?C21%), illite (4%?C12%), and kaolinite (2%?C10%) share a similar pattern with higher contents during interglacials than glacials, mirroring to that of smectite. The results indicate that the smectite-dominated clay minerals derive mainly from the river detrital inputs of New Guinea. The glacial-interglacial cycle of clay mineral assemblages well correspond to the fluctuation of sea level. When the sea level was low, the river materials can travel more easily across the narrow shelf off the island of New Guinea, inject directly into the subsurface currents flowing westwards, then merge into the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC), and eventually deposit on the central part of WPWP. Precessional periods of the smectite content indicate the intensity of mechanical erosion in its provenance of New Guinea, responding to the river runoff and precipitation, and this could also be linked to the meridional migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).     

Eastern Pacific cooling and Atlantic overturning circulation during the last deglaciation

Surface ocean conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean could hold the clue to whether millennial-scale global climate change during glacial times was initiated through tropical ocean-atmosphere feedbacks or by changes in the Atlantic thermohaline circulation. North Atlantic cold periods during Heinrich events and millennial-scale cold events (stadials) have been linked with climatic changes in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and South America, as well as the Indian and East Asian monsoon systems, but not with tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures. Here we present a high-resolution record of sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific derived from alkenone unsaturation measurements. Our data show a temperature drop of approximately 1 degrees C, synchronous (within dating uncertainties) with the shutdown of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during Heinrich event 1, and a smaller temperature drop of approximately 0.5 degrees C synchronous with the smaller reduction in the overturning circulation during the Younger Dryas event. Both cold events coincide with maxima in surface ocean productivity as inferred from 230Th-normalized carbon burial fluxes, suggesting increased upwelling at the time. From the concurrence of equatorial Pacific cooling with the two North Atlantic cold periods during deglaciation, we conclude that these millennial-scale climate changes were probably driven by a reorganization of the oceans' thermohaline circulation, although possibly amplified by tropical ocean-atmosphere interaction as suggested before.     

Increased seasonality in Middle East temperatures during the last interglacial period

The last interglacial period (about 125,000 years ago) is thought to have been at least as warm as the present climate. Owing to changes in the Earth's orbit around the Sun, it is thought that insolation in the Northern Hemisphere varied more strongly than today on seasonal timescales, which would have led to corresponding changes in the seasonal temperature cycle. Here we present seasonally resolved proxy records using corals from the northernmost Red Sea, which record climate during the last interglacial period, the late Holocene epoch and the present. We find an increased seasonality in the temperature recorded in the last interglacial coral. Today, climate in the northern Red Sea is sensitive to the North Atlantic Oscillation, a climate oscillation that strongly influences winter temperatures and precipitation in the North Atlantic region. From our coral records and simulations with a coupled atmosphere-ocean circulation model, we conclude that a tendency towards the high-index state of the North Atlantic Oscillation during the last interglacial period, which is consistent with European proxy records, contributed to the larger amplitude of the seasonal cycle in the Middle East.     

近50年海表温度的多时间尺度分析

根据1951～1999年完整可靠的海表温度(SST)资料,利用墨西哥帽小波和Morlet小波变换分析近50 a SST的突变点以及多时间尺度结构.结果表明,两种小波都十分明显,并有效地揭示了近50 aSST的不同层次的奇异点及其多时间尺度精细结构.Nino各海区的海温距平(ΔTss)序列具有多层次的时间尺度结构,存在着准4 a,4～10 a和20 a左右尺度的周期变化,24 a左右的较大时间尺度和8个月以下的小时间尺度周期信号较弱.Nino各海区的SST变化表现为多层次多时间尺度的冷暖结构特征;近50 a海温总的变化趋势变暖.