Evolution of the South China Sea and monsoon history revealed in deep-sea records

As the third summary report of ODP Leg 184 to the South China Sea (SCS), this paper discusses the evolution of the East Asian monsoon and the SCS basin. A multi-proxy approach, involving geochemistry, micropale-ontology, pollen and other analyses, was adopted for reconstructing the evolutionary history of the East Asian monsoon, which was characterized by a series of paleo-climate events especially at 8, 3.2, 2.2 and 0.4 Ma. The new record indicates similar stages in the development of the East and South Asian monsoons, with an enhanced winter monsoon over East Asia being the major difference. The rich spectrums of monsoon variability from the southern SCS also reveal other characteristic features of the low latitude ocean. Evidence for the evolution of the SCS includes the hemipelagic Oligocene sediments, implying the existence of deep water environments during the early seafloor spreading stage of the SCS basin. The four major unconformities and some remarkabl ediagenetic features in upper Oligocene deposits indicate the strongest tectonic events in the region. From a careful comparison of lithologies and sedimentation rates, we conclude that the prominent differences in sedimentary environments between the southern and northern SCS were established only by ～3 Ma.     

临夏盆地1.95MaBP的气候转型事件与青藏高原隆升作用于大气的临界高度

湖相地层孢粉分析的结果表明，临夏盆地在1．95MaB．P．前后发生过一次重要的气候转型事件。在此之前，南海热带季风信号在地层记录中存在较强的表现，在此之后热带季风信号减弱而高纬冰盖信号加强。CaCO3指标的周期分析同样表明，在1．95MaBP前后确实出现了气候的主导周期转型，在此之前，气候变化周期以类岁差的25kyr周期为主，而在此之后，以类倾角的38kyr周期为主。发生在临夏盆地1．95MaBP的这次气候转型事件表明青藏高原地面在当时隆升到一个可以改变周围地区大气环流的临界高度，如果以青藏高原在2．6MaB．P．- 0．6MaB．P．的平均抬升速率推算，这一临界高度可能在2500m左右。     

Magnetostratigraphy of Late Tertiary sediments from the Chinese Loess Plateau and its paleoclimatic significance

The Late Tertiary red clay/bed sediments underlying the Quaternary loess-paleosol in the Chinese Loess Plateau possesses high-resolution paleoclimatic changes related to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Magnetostratigra-phy and susceptibility measurements are discussed in this paper. The paleomagnetic results show that the red clay/bed began to accumulate at about 8.1 Ma, which represents the oldest Late Tertiary deposit continuously in the central Loess Plateau. The magnetic susceptibility curves show stepwise increases since the initiation of red clay, superimposed on several peaks. Moreover, the magnetic susceptibility increased abruptly since 3.8 Ma, which probably indicates the inception of the modern East Asia monsoon system. Between 3.8 and 2.6 Ma, the stepwise increases of susceptibility may imply progressively intensified East Asia summer monsoon activity related with the stepwise uplift process of the Tibetan Plateau.     

Influence of the Tibetan Plateau uplift on the Asian monsoon-arid environment evolution

As one of the most important geological events in Cenozoic era,the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau(TP)has had profound influences on the Asian and global climate and environment evolution.During the past four decades,many scholars from China and abroad have studied climatic and environmental effects of the TP uplift by using a variety of geological records and paleoclimate numerical simulations.The existing research results enrich our understanding of the mechanisms of Asian monsoon changes and interior aridification,but so far there are still a lot of issues that need to be thought deeply and investigated further.This paper attempts to review the research on the influence of the TP uplift on the Asian monsoon-arid environment,summarize three types of numerical simulations including bulk-plateau uplift,phased uplift and sub-regional uplift,and especially to analyze regional differences in responses of climate and environment to different forms of tectonic uplifts.From previous modeling results,the land-sea distribution and the Himalayan uplift may have a large effect in the establishment and development of the South Asian monsoon.However,the formation and evolution of the monsoon in northern East Asia,the intensified dryness north of the TP and enhanced Asian dust cycle may be more closely related to the uplift of the main body,especially the northern part of the TP.In this review,we also discuss relative roles of the TP uplift and other impact factors,origins of the South Asian monsoon and East Asian monsoon,feedback effects and nonlinear responses of climatic and environmental changes to the plateau uplift.Finally,we make comparisons between numerical simulations and geological records,discuss their uncertainties,and highlight some problems worthy of further studying.     

Modeling the climate effects of different subregional uplifts within the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau on Asian summer monsoon evolution

Considering the different uplifting time of different subregions of the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau(TP),a series of numerical simulations have been conducted with the Community Atmosphere Model(CAM4) developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research to explore the effects of the phased tectonic uplift of the Himalaya-TP on the evolution of Asian summer monsoons.The results show that the uplifts of the Himalaya and northern TP significantly affect the evolutions of South Asian summer monsoon and northern East Asian summer monsoon respectively.That is,the tectonic uplift of the Himalaya intensifies the South Asian summer monsoon circulation and increases the precipitation in South Asia,whereas the uplift of the northern TP intensifies the northern East Asian summer monsoon circulation and increases the precipitation in northern East Asia.Compared with previous simulations,current comparative analyses of modeling results for different subregional uplifts within the Himalaya-TP help deepen our understanding of the evolutionary history of Asian monsoons.     

Benthic foraminiferal fauna turnover at 2.1 Ma in the northern South China Sea

Quantitative analysis of benthic foraminifera from ODP Site 1146 in the northern South China Sea (SCS) shows that abundance of Bulimina alazanensis, sometimes up to about 90%, decreased gradually since 3.2 Ma, especially at 2.1 Ma. Abundance of other benthic foraminiferal species, Globobulimina sub-globosa and Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi, increased after 2.1 Ma. Comparison with changes in oxygen and carbon isotopes of planktonic and benthic foraminifera shows that high abundance values of B. alazanensis corresponded with lower values of oxygen isotope, but for carbon isotope, high values of the species were consistent with heavier carbon isotope of benthic foraminifera and lighter carbon isotope of planktonic foraminifera, respectively, and vice versa. Considering factors such as uplift of Bashi Strait, expansion of the North Hemisphere Glaciation, strengthening of East Asian winter mon-soon and variations in oxygen and carbon isotope of foraminifera, changes of B. alazanensis in ODP Site 1146 suggest that the source of deep water masses of the northern South China Sea changed from the warm Pacific deep water with high oxygen content to Pacific Intermediate water with low oxygen content at 2.1 Ma. In addition, the strengthened East Asian winter monsoon resulted in increased pri-mary productivity, high nutrient and suboxic bottom water. Variations in species of B. alazanensis seemed to be unable to tolerate environmental stress induced by deep water masses and productivity changes.     

An important stratigraphic boundary in dust accumulation, South China: evidence from magnetic susceptibility

preliminary studies on two kinds of aeolian dust accumulation in South China show that there are abrupt changes of magnetic susceptibility between the upper and lower parts of the typical profiles. This stratigraphic boundary may indict change in East Asian monsoon circulation pattern, which is induced by the significant uplift of the Tibetan Plateau in 0.15 myr or so.     

南海深海盆的沉积充填

 依据大洋钻探井及地震剖面资料，定量确定南海同扩张期和后扩张期深海盆沉积充填差异及沉积物来源变化。研究显示，南海深海盆自渐新世（32 Ma）开始形成，随着南海二次扩张海盆范围逐渐扩大，海盆内主要充填火山碎屑角砾岩及火山灰，碳酸盐岩、超微化石软泥，泥质粘土、粉砂质粘土、泥岩及粉细砂岩。深海盆充填主要沉积物为晚中新世（11.6Ma）以来的陆源碎屑沉积，丰富陆源碎屑的供给与南海闭合过程中同期区域构造事件（如青藏高原快速隆升、菲律宾板块俯冲）密切相关，也与晚中新世以来东亚季风增强以及源区强烈的风化剥蚀有关。     

Sediment provenance and evolution of the East Asian winter monsoon since 700 ka recorded by major elements in the West Philippine Sea

To synthetically realize the character of major-element compositions as well as its significance for provenance and paleoenvironment recorded in core sediments of the West Philippine Sea over the last 700 ka,grain size and major elements of 221 bulk sediments,together with major-element compositions in the detrital phase of 16 typical samples,in core MD06-3047 collected from the Benham Rise were analyzed.Both discrimination plot and R-mode factor analysis indicate that vertical changes of major elements are mainly controlled by the sedimentation of nearby volcanic matter and the eolian dust input,whereas influences from marine biologic deposition and hydrothermal activity are minor.In particular,Al2O3 and K2O are representative of an eolian dust factor.The variation in the eolian dust factor score is characterized by the obviously glacial-interglacial periodicity and can be well compared with the paleotemperature record of the Antarctic ice core and the evolution of the East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM) recorded in the Chinese loess sequence,and then offers a new proxy for the evolution history of eolian dust input into the study area that is controlled by the EAWM intensity and aridity in the continental source regions of atmospheric dust.     

Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and environmental changes

Major progress, problems, and challenges of recent investigation of the Tibetan Plateau uplift processes and resulting environmental changes are reviewed and summarized briefly, which especially covers the National Tibetan Research Projects of the Chinese Eighth (1992-1996) and Ninth (1997-2001) "Five-Year Projects". The Tibetan Plateau uplift is a complicated multiple cyclic process. The Gangdise and Himalayas began to uplift in the Middle Eocene and Early Miocene respectively, while the main part of the Plateau merely underwent corresponding passive deformation and secular denudation, resulting in two planation surfaces. The third and also the strongest uplift involved the whole Plateau and its marginal mountains commenced at 3.6 Ma. Successive Kunlun-Huanghe movement at 1.1-0.6 Ma and Gonghe movement at 0.15 Ma raised the Plateau to its present height. The Asian monsoonal system and Asian natural environment formed in response to these tectonic uplifts.     

青藏高原隆升阶段性

 青藏高原的隆升不仅是印度板块与亚洲板块碰撞导致的地球内部岩石圈地球动力学作用过程的结果,并且对全球和亚洲气候变化、亚洲地貌和地表环境过程及大量地内和地表矿产资源的形成分布产生了深刻影响。因而研究高原隆升的历史不仅对解决上述重大科学问题提供重要途径,而且可为高原区域资源环境的开发和可持续发展提供理论依据。简要回顾和梳理了国内外近年来,围绕青藏高原隆升所取得的主要进展。研究表明新生代青藏高原经历了多阶段、多幕次、准同步异幅且高原南北后期加速隆升的演化过程。具体可划分为55~30、25~10及8~0 Ma 3个主要生长隆升期次。其中55~30 Ma的高原早期隆升,主要集中在高原中南部的拉萨地块和羌塘地块,并且可能隆升到接近3 km高度,或甚至更高,有人称之为“原西藏高原”,但其周缘存在准同步异幅的变形隆升响应;25~10 Ma的中期隆升,“原西藏高原”南北缘的喜马拉雅山和可可西里-昆仑山开始强烈隆升,“原西藏高原”率先隆升到目前高度并开始向东西两侧挤出物质、拉张形成南北向裂谷,高原北缘普遍产生广泛变形隆升但幅度有限;从约8 Ma开始的晚期隆升,高原南、北部边缘的喜马拉雅山和昆仑山-西秦岭以北的高原东北部隆升显著加速,经历一系列短暂快速的多幕次构造变形和生长隆升,最终形成现今高原面貌。     

A rock magnetic record of Asian cooling and aridification processes during 1.95-0.40 Ma in the southeastern Chinese Loess Plateau

The southeastern Chinese Loess Plateau is the terminal deposition area of dusts transported by the East Asian winter monsoon and the frontal area penetrated by the East Asian summer monsoon,and thus a climate sensitive region.This paper reports a rock magnetic study of a Quaternary loess-paleosol section in such a region.We tried to reconstruct the paleoclimate evolution history in the region during 1.95–0.40 Ma with magnetic parameters.The results show a general up-section decreasing trend of the ratio of HIRM/(SIRM–IRM100 mT),indicating a long-term decreasing trend of hematite coercivities in the deposits,which can be mainly related to the cooling and aridification trend of the environment in interglacial depositional area and glacial dust source region.The ratio,lf/ARM,widely used to reflect the variations of magnetic mineral grain size,manifests a long-term increasing trend of the magnetic mineral grain size and tends to indicate an overall weakening trend of the East Asian summer monsoon that controlled the pedogenic intensity.Although the regional multi-segmented paleoclimatic records revealed by several magnetic parameters in our study,the long-term Asian cooling and aridification trend inferred here is of global correlation significance.     

Orbital- and millennial-scale variability of the Asian monsoon during MIS8 from Sanbao Cave at Mount Shennongjia,central China

One stalagmite oxygen isotope record from Sanbao Cave, China, established with 7 230Th ages and 355 oxygen isotope data, pro- vides a continuous history of the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) intensity for the period from 284 to 240 thousand years before present (ka BP) with typical errors of 3―4 ka. This new record extends the previously published stalagmite δ18O record back to the marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 8. The MIS8 EAM record broadly follows orbitally-induced insolation variations and is punctuated by...     

Eolian sand deposition and its environmental significance in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

The dry climate which appeared about 8#x2013;7 Ma ago in South Asia has been interpreted as results of the intensification of Asian monsoon caused by the uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau at its maximum altitude around that time. Whether it is or not, it is a critical problem. A total of 55 samples were taken from the Tertiary red earth and Quaternary lacustrine deposits and loess in the Linxia Basin which is located in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, for the analysis of quartz types and contents using electron probe microanalyzer. The results indicate that the eolian sands have existed since 15Ma and reached its maximum content at 8 and 6#x2013;5 Ma, respectively. This means that the climate was very dry during 8-5 Ma period in western China, which was regarded as the result of global climatic change at that time. Mean size of quartz sand grains was about 0.4 mm during 15#x2013;3.6/2.6 Ma period and dropped to 0.1–0.07 mm dramatically after 3.6–2.6 Ma. This demonstrates that the local eolian deposition was decreased significantly and even disappeared since Late Pliocene and was replaced by dust deposits from distal source, suggesting the uplift of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the change of air circulation after 3.6–2.6 Ma.     

The terrestrial NPP simulations in China since Last Glacial Maximum

Based on Atmosphere-Vegetation Interaction Model （AVIM）, the magnitude and spatial distribution of terrestrial net primary productivity （NPP） in China is simulated during three different geological eras, Last Glacial Maximum （LGM）, Mid-Holocene （MH） and the present. The simulation shows that the glacial-interglacial variation of East Asian summer monsoon in China is the key factor affectfng the NPP change. During the three eras, mean NPPs are 208 g/m^2·a, 409 g/m^2·a, and 355 g/m^2·a. The total NPPs are 2.05 Pg/a, 3.89 Pg/a and 3.33 Pg/a, respectively. The terrestrial NPP in China during warm-humid climate is larger than that during cold-arid eras, and the correlation analysis between NPP and climate factors suggests that temperature is the primary factor affecting the terrestrial NPP during 21 kaBP （LGM）, and for 6 kaBP （MH） and the present the primary factor is precipitation.     

Deep sea pollen record during 12－1.6 Ma from the southern South China Sea and its response to envi-ronmental change

Based on deep-sea pollen results (512-76 m) from ODP Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea (SCS),the climate and vegetation evolution sequence on the surrounding islands and the exposed continental shelf are discussed. The pollen records show that the pollen influx was quite low before 8.15 Ma and increased dramatically afterwards. The influx changes can be ascribed,on one side,to tectonics deformations around the southern SCS resulting in rapid uplift of islands and subsequent increase of the sediment rates and pollen influx and on the other side to climate cooling and monsoon enhancement. Around 2.63 Ma was another obvious boundary,the increasing of pollen and spores influx since this time was mainly related to global climate cooling. Spectrum analysis of pollen influx values shows that 2 Ma,0.67 Ma,and 0.19-0.17 Ma cycles existed during 12-3.0 Ma,while 0.1 Ma and 46.9 ka cycles existed during 3.0-2.0 Ma.     

Responses of South and East Asian summer monsoons to different land-sea temperature increases under a warming scenario

We used outputs from climate models that participated in the fourth assessment (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to evaluate the responses of the South Asian summer monsoon (SASM) and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) circulations to different warming over land and ocean under a medium warming scenario, SRES A1B. Our results suggest that, even though near-surface warming over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is greater than that over the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) and the northwestern Pacific (NWP), the upper-tropospheric land-sea thermal contrasts between the TP and the TIO (TP-TIO) and between the TP and the NWP (TP-NWP) will decrease. At interdecadal and longer time scales, the change in the SASM circulation is consistent with the TP-TIO upper-troposphere thermal contrast. Conversely, the change in the EASM circulation is consistent with the TP-NWP lower-troposphere thermal contrast. However, at the interannual time scale, both changes in the EASM and SASM are significantly correlated with the upper-troposphere thermal contrast. Further analyses suggest that increases in moisture and changes in cloud cover induced by global warming may cause amplified upper-tropospheric warming over the TP and the oceans resulting in inconsistent changes in the vertical temperature distribution over these regions. Because the warming over the TIO and NWP is greater than that over the TP, the TP-TIO meridional and TP-NWP zonal thermal contrasts will both decrease. However, at the lower layer, the difference in thermal capacity between land and sea result in a larger thermal effect in the near-surface region of the TP than those over the surrounding oceans. We showed that a range of factors that affect thermal conditions will likely cause changes in the Asian monsoon across a range of time scales under a warming scenario. These changes reflect differences in the influence of the greenhouse effect and natural variability.     

Pollen evidence from Baode of the northern Loess Plateau of China and strong East Asian summer monsoons during the Early Pliocene

The red clay eolian sequence on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) is an important archive for paleoclimate change from the late Miocene to Pliocene,and can provide significant information for the controversial problems of East Asian monsoon evolution and its forcing mechanism.In this study,we present a pollen record from Baode,northern CLP.The record shows four stages of paleoecological evolution.From 5.6-4.4 Ma,a forest steppe ecosystem developed under an extremely warm period with high seasonal precipitation.Since 4.4 Ma,a drier episode occurred,which prompted parkland landscapes to develop.During 3.5-3.05 Ma,the environment changed to a rather open steppe ecosystem with a much cooler and drier climate.After 3.05 Ma,the vegetation evolved to forest steppe.Using the percentages of arboreal plants to mirror precipitation,and comparing with other published pollen data from the CLP,we find the existence of S-N directionality of the precipitation change and high percentage of arboreal plants in the entire CLP during the Early Pliocene,which suggest the CLP was characterized by a strong East Asian summer monsoon.The strong summer monsoon corresponds well to the low global ice volume,which may illuminate global climate mechanism for the summer monsoon evolution in the early Pliocene.     

Pleistocene precession forcing of the upper ocean structure variations of the southern South China Sea

The precession plays a dominant role in driving the tropical monsoon variations. Our high resolution, millennial scale marine isotope records from ODP Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea (SCS) present the detailed history of the upper ocean structure variations over the past 1.56 Ma on glacial/interglacial timescale. The cross spectral analyses between the Earth's orbital variations and the isotopic differences reveal a high coherency between the East-Asian-monsoon-related thermocline and nutricline variations of the SCS and the precession. The variations of monsoon-related isotopic difference between species also demonstrate periodicities of 11-, 12- and 14- thousand years near semi-precession which originates in the tropics, highlighting the importance of the precession in driving the east Asian monsoon changes.     

Carbon isotopic records in paleosols over the Pliocene in Northern China: Implication on vegetation development and Tibetan uplift

Carbon isotopic composition of pedogenic carbonate can be used to estimate the proportion of C₄ and C₃ plants. Here we present carbon isotopic data of carbonate in a red earth section at Xifeng, central Loess Plateau. Results show that C₄ vegetation increased in ∼4.4 Ma B.P., stabilized between 4.0 and 3.0 Ma B.P. The character and timing of C₄ expansion on the Loess Plateau are similar, but different with other localities, e.g. Pakistan and Africa, implying that regional climate changes were main factors driving the expansion of C₄ plants. This event is comparable in timing with increased aridity evidenced by Xifeng grain size and North Pacific eolian dust records. Therefore we argue that the Pliocene expansion of C₄ plants in northern China might have been caused by the increased aridity, which in turn might be related to rapid uplift of the Tibetan Plateau.