Reply to the comment of Cheng et al.

We thank Cheng et al. for their interest in our paper “On linking climate to Chinese dynastic change: Spatial and temporal variations of of monsoonal rain” [1]. Our paper was written largely as a response to the suggestion made by Zhang P Z, et al. [2] that climate has a key role in affecting chapters of Chinese cultural history (e.g. the demise of the Tang, Yuan and Ming dynasties).
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光明山球粒陨石宇宙射线暴露年龄及气体保存年龄

光明山球粒陨石稀有气体同位素分析结果表明，宇宙成因核素３Ｈｅ，２１Ｎｅ及３８Ａｒ的宇宙射线暴露年龄分别为 ６５， ８０和 ６５ Ｍａ，平均为 ７０ Ｍａ，这是目前高铁普通球粒陨石（Ｈ群球粒陨石）中暴露年龄最高的陨石； Ｋ－Ａｒ及 Ｕ， Ｔｈ－４Ｈｅ气体保存年龄分别为（４２３０± １００）和（３３００± ６０） Ｍａ．宇宙成因３Ｈｅ暴露年龄小于２１Ｎｅ年龄，放射性成因 ４Ｈｅ保存年龄小于４０Ａｒ年龄，表明该陨石在碰撞破裂脱离母体后 ７０ Ｍａ的暴露期间，可能由于小的近日距轨道受到太阳加热，导致３Ｈｅ和４Ｈｅ的同步丢失．     

Age dating of lacustrine sediments in Lake Tianshuihai of the Tibetan Plateau by using U-series isochron method and its significance

The age of the clastic-clay sediments with varied content of carbonate in core TS95 taken from the Lake Tianshuihai in the northwest of the Tibetan Plateau was determined successfully by using the total sample dissolution U-series isochron method for the first time. With this method, the serial absolute timescale (isotope time scale) covered the last 240 ka in the main body of the Tibetan Plateau with a sea level up to 4000 m is also established for the first time, thereby laying the foundation for the research on the paleoclimate and palaeoenvironment in the Lake Tianshuihai region as well as the relationship between evolution of the Tibetan Plateau and global changes. In addition to a brief introduction of the basic principles, the procedures of experiments, and the results, this note also presents the adaptability and superiority of this method as well as its possible problems.     

On linking climate to Chinese dynastic change: Spatial and temporal variations of monsoonal rain

The causal correlation or linkage between the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) intensity and rise/fall of Chinese dynasties recently proposed by high-resolution paleoclimate reconstructions is examined in detail. Aside from many exceptions to the correlation, both instrumental and historical climate records show strong spatial variations of rainfall on annual-to-decadal scales over eastern China. The relationship between rainfall and EAM intensity also exhibits regional disparity. These observations suggest: (1) Ta...