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.     

Climatic changes documented by stable isotopes of sedimentary carbonate in Lake Sugan, northeastern Tibetan Plateau of China, since 2 kaBP

Lake Sugan at the northern edge of the Qaidam Basin was selected as the research object. The temporal sequence of sedimentary cores retrieved from Lake Sugan since 2 kaBP was reconstructed using the ^210Pb, AMS 14C and conventional 14C dating methods. Carbon and oxygen isotopes of carbonate in the fine-grained lake sediments were analysed. Combined with the changes of 8180 values of surface water and air temperature observation data in the study area, it might be thought that the δ^18O value of the carbonate indicates effective moisture, and the changes in δ^13C values are related to annual freeze-up duration of the lake and indirectly indicate air temperature changes in winter half year. From the above, the sequence of climatic changes in the region since 2 kaBP was established. The climatic changes experienced five stages： Warm-dry climate during 0-190 AD： cold-dry climate during 190-580 AD; warm-dry climate during 580-1200 AD （MWP）; cold-wet climate during 1200-1880 AD （LIA）; cold-dry climate during 1880-1950 AD： and climate warming since 1950s. The air temperature changes in winter half year reflected by carbon isotope since 2 kaBP are in good agreement with the historical literature records and other geologic records, which shows that the climate changes recorded by the stable isotopes from Lake Sugan since 2 kaBP are of universal significance.     

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.     

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

An understanding of natural climatic variability is essential for evaluating anthropogenic impacts on recent and future climate[1—3]. Due to the lack of lengthy instrumental records, such an understanding must be gained from natural archives of climate change. Palaeolimnological indicators of past lake levels may provide a sensitive record of changes in effective precipitation in closed basins. This approach is particularly relevant on the Tibetan Plateau, where instrumental records are very…     

Temperature variations on the Tibetan Plateau over the last two millennia

The paleoclimate data recovered from ice cores,tree rings and lake sediments indicate regional features of cfimatic change on the Tibeta n Plateau (TP) during the last 2000 years. The composite temperature reconstructions in-dicate that several main climatic episodes, such as the “LittleIce Age“ between 1400 and 1900, the “Medieval Warm Pe-riod“ in 1150-1400, a less warm period in 800-1100, and an earlier cold period between the 3rd and 5th centuries,occurred in the TP. In addition, temperature varied from region to region. The period from AD 800 to 1100, which waswarm in northeastern TP, was contemporaneous with cool-ing in the western and southern TP. The southern TP ex-perienced warming between 1150 and 1400. For western TP,the δ^18O records of the Guliya ice core indicate that the pe-Hod 1250-1500 witnessed a clear warming. Large-scaletrends in the temperature history from northeastern TP aremore similar to those in eastern China than are the trendsfrom the Guliya ice cap far to the west and southern TP. The most prominent similarities between the temperature varia-tions of the TP and eastern China are such cold phases as 1100-1150, 1500-1550, 1650-1700 and 1800-1850, andthe latter three cold events match with three widespreadg lacial advances which occurred on the TP during the Little Ice A2e.     

夏季青藏高原与东亚及热带的降水廓线差异分析

利用热带测雨卫星上测雨雷达的探测结果,考察了青藏高原与东亚及热带地区降水廓线的异同.结果表明高原深厚弱对流降水为高原上最主要的降水类型,占降水总样本近90%,而对总降水量的贡献超过70%,其雨顶高度接近海拔13 km,最大降水率出现在近地面.高原与陆面(非高原地区)及洋面的降水廓线差异主要表现在:①高原上缺少陆面和洋面上的层云降水;②高原深厚对流降水云团在垂直方向上只有2层,难以从平均廓线中辨认深厚降水云团中的冰水混合层和冰晶过冷水层;③高原深厚强对流降水在垂直方向的厚度受到了"压缩",平均最大厚度约10 km,显著小于陆面及洋面地区的平均厚度;④高原深厚弱对流降水平均廓线斜率大于其他地区对流降水平均廓线斜率,表明8 km以上的降水率垂直变率大,由此将释放出更多的潜热,造成显著高于周边地区的对中高层大气的加热.     

青海湖流域近50年气温、降水变化特征研究

本文对青海湖流域1961-2010年近50年来的气温和降水变化特征进行了研究,结果表明,青海湖流域气温呈明显的增加趋势,线性增温率最大达到0.40℃/10a;存在较为明显的4次增温期,特别是最近一次增温期,持续时间长,最大增幅达0.1℃/a.降水量虽然没有明显的增加趋势,但存在三次明显的增多期,最大降水量出现在1988-1989年间.在季节变化上,气温均出现了不同程度的增加趋势,尤其以冬季和秋季增温趋势最明显;降水的季节增幅不明显,降水主要集中夏季,夏季多年平均降水量为239.30mm,占全年降水量的65%左右.近50年气温、降水变化特征表明青海湖流域目前正处于增温增湿阶段.     

Recent climate changes recorded by sediment grain sizes and isotopes in Erhai Lake

By careful sampling and accurate analysis of recent sediments, the time series of sediment grain sizes and 6" 1B0, S 13C of carbonates in recent 700 years are successfully established, based on which the evolutionary history of the regional climate and environment in Erhai Lake is reconstructed. The results show that the climatic succession type in the region of Erhai Lake is warm-dry and cold-humid alternatively, and there exist 200 and 400 years of quasi-periodical changes in temperature and 100, 200 and 400 years of quasi-periodical changes in aridity/humidity regime. The two coldest periods in recent 700 years occurred in the 14th century and the duration of 1550—1800 AD. The latter period may be the imprint left of the Little Ice Age.     

Millennial-scale climate change since the last glaciation recorded by grain sizes of loess deposits on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Whether climatic changes in high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere since the last glaciation have effects on the Tibetan Plateau monsoon, and the variation characteristics of the Plateau monsoon itself are still not solved but of great significance. The 22-m high-resolution Ioess-paleosol sequence in the Hezuo Basin on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau demonstrates that the Plateau winter monsoon experienced a millennial variation similar to high latitude Northern Hemisphere, with cold events clearly correlated with Heinrich events but less for the warm events (Dansgarrd-Oeschger events). It may indicate that the climate system at high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere had played an important role in both the Plateau monsoon and the high-level westerlies. On 10^4 year scale, there are two distinct anomalous changes, which are not found in the records from high latitude northern hemisphere, revealed by the loess grain size in the Hezuo Basin. One is that there was a considerable grain size increase at -36 kaBP, suggesting an abrupt enhancement of the Plateau winter monsoon at that time; the other is that, during 43--36 kaBP, the grain size decreased distinctly, indicating a notable weakening of the Plateau winter monsoon around that period. Both of the two anomalies suggest that the Tibetan climate may have been controlled by some other factors, besides the high latitude climatic changes in the Northern Hemisphere.     

青藏高原春季冷暖对我国东南地区春夏转换时期降水异常的影响

目的分析青藏高原主体部分(80°~100°E,27.5°~37.5°N)春季气温与中国东南地区春末夏初降水量变化的关系,为区域短期气候预测提供依据。方法运用滑动平均、距平、合成分析等方法分析了高原春季冷暖与中国东南地区春夏转换时期降水异常的相关性,进而讨论了与之相联系的大气环流特征。结果表明春季高原暖年中国东南地区晚春降水量偏多,初夏降水量偏少;春季高原冷年中国东南地区晚春降水量偏少,初夏降水量偏多。结论青藏高原春季持续偏冷或偏暖,春季对中国东南地区春夏转换时期降水异常带来明显影响。     

Ozone mini-hole occurring over the Tibetan Plateau in December 2003

Since the Antarctic ozone-hole was discovered[1], the ozone depletion in stratosphere and its effect on climate and environment have become the global focus[2-6]. In China, since Zhou et al.[7] in 1994 and later Zou[8] dis- covered the total ozone valley …