Variations in upper water structure during MIS 3 from the western South China Sea

Core 17954 is located in the modern summer upwelling area in western South China Sea, its sediments recorded the variations of upwelling generated by East Asia Summer Monsoon (EASM) during MIS 3. Based on the strict age model of AMS 14C dating, the paleo-Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Salinity (SSS) are reconstructed by pairing Mg/Ca-Paleothermometer and δ 18o of planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber (white s.s.). Results show that in Core 17954, the δ 18O record of G.ruber has sig- nificant mill...     

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.     

Holocene climatic change in Hunshandake Desert

Research on the geological data of Hunshandake Desert in China monsoon region revealed that Holocene summer monsoon had experienced six prevailing periods and seven weakening periods. The climatic humidity and the vegetation had also undergone the similar periodical variation influenced by the monsoon periodicity. The period when summer monsoon prevailed or winter monsoon weakened and climatic humidity and vegetation coverage relatively increased, corresponded to the global warming events;whereas the period when summer monsoon weakened or winter monsoon prevailed and climatic humidity and vegetation coverage relatively decreased, corresponded to the arid events in middle to low latitudes and the cold events in North Atlantic. As for the changing regularity of summer monsoon intensity there were two distinct periodicities of 1456 years and 494 years, also these two periodicities had global significance.     

Millennial- and orbital-scale changes in the East Asian monsoon over the past 224,000 years

High-resolution speleothem records from China have provided insights into the factors that control the strength of the East Asian monsoon. Our understanding of these factors remains incomplete, however, owing to gaps in the record of monsoon history over the past two interglacial-glacial cycles. In particular, missing sections have hampered our ability to test ideas about orbital-scale controls on the monsoon, the causes of millennial-scale events and relationships between changes in the monsoon and climate in other regions. Here we present an absolute-dated oxygen isotope record from Sanbao cave, central China, that completes a Chinese-cave-based record of the strength of the East Asian monsoon that covers the past 224,000 years. The record is dominated by 23,000-year-long cycles that are synchronous within dating errors with summer insolation at 65 degrees N (ref. 10), supporting the idea that tropical/subtropical monsoons respond dominantly and directly to changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation on orbital timescales. The cycles are punctuated by millennial-scale strong-summer-monsoon events (Chinese interstadials), and the new record allows us to identify the complete series of these events over the past two interglacial-glacial cycles. Their duration decreases and their frequency increases during glacial build-up in both the last and penultimate glacial periods, indicating that ice sheet size affects their character and pacing. The ages of the events are exceptionally well constrained and may thus serve as benchmarks for correlating and calibrating climate records.     

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.     

Weathering Signals of Millennial-Scale Oscillations of the East-Asian Summer Monsoon over the Last 220 ka

This study generated a high-resolution paleoweathering record of the loess-soil sequence from the central Loess Plateau covering the last 220 ka using the ratio between the CBD (citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite) extractable free Fe_2O_3 (Fed) and total Fe_2O_3 (Fet). The new proxy shows a series of millennial oscillations, which are not necessarily documented by magnetic susceptibility from the same site. Because chemical weathering in the region depends mainly upon summer precipitation and temperature, we interpret these changes to be a result of millennial-scale variations in the strength of the East-Asian summer monsoon. Over the last glacial period, there is general agreement between the loess weathering record and the GRIP ice δ~(18)O record. The first suggests a rather stable summer monsoon pattern during the Last Interglacial period (marine δ~(18)O stage 5e). Large amplitude millennial oscillations of the summer monsoon seem to be particularly characteristic of the last glacial period whereas the fluctuations for the older periods are smoother.     

海南岛西岸上升流与暖池的数值研究

【目的】进一步探讨海南岛西岸的上升流与暖池的特征及生成机制。【方法】首先构建更为全面的控制模型(控制实验),包括日平均风场、热通量、侧边界通量、潮汐强迫以及河流径流等强迫场,然后在控制实验基础上,构建无潮汐强迫、无热通量强迫、无季风强迫等3个敏感性实验来分析3种强迫因子对海南岛西岸上升流与暖池的作用。【结果】夏季海南岛西岸存在上升流,该上升流受热通量和潮混合共同控制,缺乏其中任何一项上升流都会消失,而西南季风起反作用。另外,海南岛西岸在冬半年为暖池控制,秋季更为显著。东北季风引起的垂向混合与潜热通量对暖池起相当作用,ENSO事件对暖池的强度也有一定影响。【结论】控制实验结果与"908"调查结果及历史观测数据吻合较好,在流场与水团验证方面效果理想。另外,敏感性实验结果得出了比前人更完善的海南岛西岸上升流与暖池生成机制的观点。     

南亚季风环流与臭氧时空分布变化关系的特征分析

利用2005年1月至2017年12月搭载在美国环境监测Aura卫星上的臭氧监测仪（Ozone Monitoring Instrument, OMI）数据和NCEP气象资料,在夏季风环流指数定义方法的基础上,重新定义了南亚区域冬季风环流指数,并分别计算了南亚夏季风和冬季风环流指数. 结合冬夏两季环流的强弱变化采用相关分析、合成分析和奇异值分解（Singular Value Decomposition, SVD）等方法,探讨了环流异常形势下臭氧的时空变化特征. 结果表明:①南亚夏季纬向环流与经向环流的强度变化存在一致性,冬季经向环流与纬向环流的强度变化差异较大. ②南亚臭氧柱总量的季节变化明显,且近13年来臭氧柱总量整体呈上升趋势. ③夏季（冬季）风环流指数与对流层中低（中高）层和平流层中低层臭氧的相关性显著,但夏季平流层和对流层的相关趋势相反. ④夏季风环流增强对应青藏高原?伊朗高原上空及南侧区域的上升运动增强,对臭氧的输送作用是造成对流层臭氧分布呈现差异的原因. ⑤冬季风环流强弱期的垂直上升和下沉运动中心的移动,以及南北向、东西向气流交汇区的差异是造成臭氧分布不同的原因.     

Reconstructed index of summer monsoon dry-wet modes in East Asia for the last millennium

Monthly precipitation datasets collected at 160 stations in China as well as the monthly winds and humidity data derived from the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) were used to construct the relationship between six summer dry-wet modes in eastern China and the summer monsoon airflow northward advance in East Asia. A millennial series of the monsoon dry-wet index (MDWI) was reconstructed based on Wang??s six summer dry-wet modes in eastern China since 950 AD. A high (low) index indicates that the strong (weak) East Asian summer monsoon airflow can reach northern (southern) China and cause above (below) normal precipitation. Interdecadal periodic variations, such as the approximate 70-year oscillation, can be found in the MDWI series. In the last millennium, northern China has experienced persistent decadal wet periods and persistent decadal dry periods. At present, the MDWI is a low period on the interdecadal time scale so above-normal precipitation is observed in southern China and below-normal precipitation in northern China.     

Magnetic records of Core MD77-181 in the Bay of Bengal and their paleoenvironmental implications

Located in the low latitude region of the northeastern Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal represents one of the largest marginal seas in the world. The Bengal Fan hosts erosional products mostly from Himalayas and is under the influence of the Indian monsoon system. The Bengal Fan has thus been one of the ideal places for studying the uplift of the Tibet Plateau and the history of the Indian monsoon[1―8]. The intensity of the Indian monsoon is controlled by secular variations in insola- ti…     

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.     

Abrupt Holocene changes of the Asian monsoon at millennial- and centennial-scales: Evidence from lake sediment document in Minqin Basin, NW China

Considerable research is now focusing on abrupt Holocene changes at millennial- and centennial-scales all over the world. This study shows that the changes in the Holocene summer monsoon can be divided into two main periods, based on climatic proxy records of lake sediments from the Sanjiaocheng section located at the NW boundary of the summer monsoon, Gansu Province. The early and middle Holocene was humid with stronger summer monsoon, while the late Holocene is dry with weak summer monsoon. Detailed results also show a series of millennial- and centennial-scale changes in the intensity of the summer monsoon, with a periodicity of {dy1600} years during the whole Holocene, and with a periodicity of 800 years during the early Holocene. Ten dry events during the Holocene are associated with the weakening of the summer monsoon. These rapid climatic changes may be representative of a global climatic change pattern during the Holocene.     

Dynamic mechanism of the upwelling on the west side of the submerged river valley off the Changjiang mouth in summertime

Based on the analysis of the field observation data off the Changjiang mouth in August 2000 and satellite image of sea surface temperature (SST) in summer of 1997, it indicates that there exists the upwelling event on the west side of the submerged river valley (SRV) off the Changjiang mouth. The calculated results of the three-dimensional numerical model show that this upwelling is induced by the barotropic effect, baroclinic effect, bottom Ekman effect and their interaction with the slope bottom topography. The baroclinic effect is the main cause producing the upwelling at the northern SRV (on the east side of the South Passage of the Changjiang estuary), while the barotropic effect is the main cause at the southern SRV (on the east side of the center of the Hangzhou Bay mouth). The dynamic mechanism producing the upweiling off the Changjiang mouth is different with the general one along coast and on the continental shelf.     

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.     

Changes of climate extremes of temperature and precipitation in summer in eastern China associated with changes in atmospheric circulation in East Asia during 1960–2008

Climate extremes and changes in eastern China are closely related to variations of the East Asian summer monsoon and corresponding atmospheric circulations.The relationship between frequencies of temperature and precipitation extremes in China during the last half century is investigated using Singular Value Decomposition analysis.During 1980-1996,there was a typical pattern with fewer hot days and more precipitation extremes in the northern part of eastern China,and more hot days and fewer precipitation extremes in the southern part.This geographic pattern tended to reverse after 1997,with fewer hot days and more extreme precipitation days south of the Yangtze River and vice versa to the north.Differences in atmospheric circulation between the former and latter periods are presented.We conclude that a mid-level anomalous high/low,upper-level anomalous easterlies/westerlies over the north/south of eastern China,a weakened East Asian summer monsoon and associated upper-tropospheric center of cooling(30°N,110°E) are all favorable for the changes in frequencies of temperature and precipitation extremes.     

柴达木盆地风成地貌类型与晚全新世古风况恢复

利用遥感图像的风成地貌形态和高分辨率古季风指标, 恢复柴达木盆地晚全新世以来的古风况, 揭示青藏高原抬升时期东亚季风变迁的历史。结果表明, 柴达木盆地晚全新世以来盛行西北风, 同时有少量西风和北风, 主要由亚洲冬季风控制, 夏季风和西风环流的影响甚微。盆地东部沙丘和雅丹地貌记录了末次盛冰期西风环流的风向, 中西部地区的风成地貌指示晚全新世以来盆地发育西北向的亚洲冬季风。青藏高原的抬升阻挡西风环流进入柴达木盆地, 并加强亚洲冬季风, 造成盆地内古风向的改变, 大气环流模式的转变发生在4000 aBP左右, 此时是柴达木盆地气候从暖湿转向冷干的重要节点。     

Forcing mechanisms for East-Asia monsoonal variations during the late pleistocene

Based on the climate records derived from loess deposits in north-central China, the characteristics of the East-Asia paleomonsoonal changes during the Late Pleistocene are summarized as follows: (ⅰ) The 0.1_Ma climate period is predominant in both summer and winter monsoonal changes over East Asia; (ⅱ) The East-Asia monsoonal variation is different from the Indian monsoon during the Late Pleistocene; (ⅲ) There is a ～5_ka time lag of the East-Asia monsoon changes relative to the theoretically calculated solar radiation changes; (ⅳ) There is a general trend toward increase in winter monsoon and decrease in summer monsoon in the last glaciation; (ⅴ) In the East-Asia monsoonal region, the amplitude of glacial-to-interglacial cycles shows a remarkable increase from south to north. To explain these characteristics, a conceptual model is developed and the forcing of global ice volume variations in the monsoonal history is emphasized.     

East Asian monsoon change for the 21st century: Results of CMIP3 and CMIP5 models

Forty-two climate models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phases 3 and 5 were first evaluated in terms of their ability to simulate the present climatology of the East Asian winter (December-February) and summer (June-August) monsoons. The East Asian winter and summer monsoon changes over the 21st century were then projected using the results of 31 and 29 reliable climate models under the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) mid-range A1B scenario or the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) mid-low-range RCP4.5 scenario, respectively. Results showed that the East Asian winter monsoon changes little over time as a whole relative to the reference period 1980-1999. Regionally, it weakens (strengthens) north (south) of about 25°N in East Asia, which results from atmospheric circulation changes over the western North Pacific and Northeast Asia owing to the weakening and northward shift of the Aleutian Low, and from decreased north- west-southeast thermal and sea level pressure differences across Northeast Asia. In summer, monsoon strengthens slightly in East China over the 21st century as a consequence of an increased land-sea thermal contrast between the East Asian continent and the adjacent western North Pacific and South China Sea.     

青藏高原：全球气候变化的驱动机与放大器──Ⅲ．青藏高原隆起对气候变化的影响

新生代出现的几次重大气候变化事件与青藏高原形成过程中经历的几次强烈构造运动在发生年代上的良好对应关系表明两者存在紧密的联系．或许正是青藏高原的隆起导致了气候的巨大变化和现代东亚季风的形成及加强．高大的高原对大气系统有两个重要影响，热力作用和动力作用．它们在亚洲冬季形成蒙古高压、夏季形成印度低压，从而导致东亚季风出现．青藏高原越高，其对大气的作用越显著，形成的蒙古高压、印度低压和东亚季风越强大．因此，东亚季风的形成和加强是青藏高原隆起的结果．东亚季风的加强和高原动力作用使西风带波动增加，造成冰期极地冷空气不断南侵、气候波动变大．青藏高原抬升和季风造成的化学风化增强还使大气ＣＯ２含量降低、气候变冷．因此，青藏高原隆起是控制新生代气候变化的重要因素．     

The influence of Antarctic sea ice on glacial-interglacial CO2 variations

Ice-core measurements indicate that atmospheric CO2 concentrations during glacial periods were consistently about 80 parts per million lower than during interglacial periods. Previous explanations for this observation have typically had difficulty accounting for either the estimated glacial O2 concentrations in the deep sea, 13C/12C ratios in Antarctic surface waters, or the depth of calcite saturation; also lacking is an explanation for the strong link between atmospheric CO2 and Antarctic air temperature. There is growing evidence that the amount of deep water upwelling at low latitudes is significantly overestimated in most ocean general circulation models and simpler box models previously used to investigate this problem. Here we use a box model with deep-water upwelling confined to south of 55 degrees S to investigate the glacial-interglacial linkages between Antarctic air temperature and atmospheric CO2 variations. We suggest that low glacial atmospheric CO2 levels might result from reduced deep-water ventilation associated with either year-round Antarctic sea-ice coverage, or wintertime coverage combined with ice-induced stratification during the summer. The model presented here reproduces 67 parts per million of the observed glacial-interglacial CO2 difference, as a result of reduced air-sea gas exchange in the Antarctic region, and is generally consistent with the additional observational constraints.