Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Mengyuan Wang, Huanye Wang, Zhixin Zhu, Xiaoqiang Yang, Ke Zhang, Yancheng Zhang, Weiguo Liu, Zhuo Zheng, Yongqiang Zong, Zhonghui Liu
Summary: Research indicates that the evolution of Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) during the Late Miocene and Pliocene experienced three phases: weak ASM strength around 6.5-5.6 million years ago, significantly enhanced strength between 5.6-4.3 million years ago, and a slightly reduced but strengthening trend after 4.3 million years ago. The study reveals a close relationship between ASM strength and tropical temperature, suggesting a developing influence of Walker Circulation on ASM strength during the Late Pliocene.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Qin Wen, Zhengyu Liu, Jiang Zhu, Mi Yan, Chengfei He, Jing Han, Jian Liu, Yishuang Liang
Summary: This study shows that the Afro-Asian summer monsoon is primarily driven by local insolation changes in the Northern Hemisphere and is influenced by insolation from high latitudes, while insolation from the Southern Hemisphere plays a negligible role.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Henry C. Henson, Johnna M. Holding, Lorenz Meire, Soren Rysgaard, Colin A. Stedmon, Alice Stuart-Lee, Jorgen Bendtsen, Mikael Sejr
Summary: Greenland's fjords and coastal waters are highly productive and sustain important fisheries, but retreating glaciers and increasing meltwater are changing fjord circulation and biogeochemistry, potentially threatening future productivity. The freshening of Greenland fjords caused by unprecedented melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet may alter carbonate chemistry in coastal waters, impacting CO2 uptake and causing acidification-related biological consequences. However, there have been few studies on the current acidification state in Greenland coastal waters.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
T. Sarathchandraprasad, Manish Tiwari, Padmasini Behera
Summary: This study highlights the intensification and weakening of the South Asian Summer Monsoon during interglacials and glacials of the mid-Piacenzian Warm Period, and a shift to a higher mean state at 2.95 million years ago possibly due to tectonic induced reorganization of the Indonesian Throughflow. Orbital parameters like eccentricity are found to have control over the SASM variations during the late Piacenzian according to spectral and wavelet transform analysis.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Zhimin Jian, Haowen Dang, Jimin Yu, Qiong Wu, Xun Gong, Christian Stepanek, Christophe Colin, Lili Hu, Gerrit Lohmann, Xiaoli Zhou, Sui Wan
Summary: The global climate has been cooling over the Cenozoic, with an intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (NHG) in the latest Pliocene to earliest Pleistocene. This study investigates changes in the composition of deep Pacific Ocean water and carbonate-ion concentration during the NHG. The results suggest that the expansion of southern-sourced waters and increased carbon storage in the deep Pacific during the NHG may be attributed to strengthened deep-water formation and biological-pump efficiency in the Southern Ocean.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hong Ao, Eelco J. Rohling, Ran Zhang, Andrew P. Roberts, Ann E. Holbourn, Jean-Baptiste Ladant, Guillaume Dupont-Nivet, Wolfgang Kuhnt, Peng Zhang, Feng Wu, Mark J. Dekkers, Qingsong Liu, Zhonghui Liu, Yong Xu, Christopher J. Poulsen, Alexis Licht, Qiang Sun, John C. H. Chiang, Xiaodong Liu, Guoxiong Wu, Chao Ma, Weijian Zhou, Zhangdong Jin, Xinxia Li, Xinzhou Li, Xianzhe Peng, Xiaoke Qiang, Zhisheng An
Summary: Our research suggests that the warming during the Miocene-Pliocene boundary increased summer monsoon moisture transport over East Asia, while also leading to aridification in Central Asia through increased evaporation. Additionally, high-resolution monsoon records indicate a dynamic response to eccentricity modulation of solar insolation with periodicities of around 405,000 years and approximately 100,000 years between 8.1 and 3.4 million years ago.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Laura L. L. Pan, Douglas Kinnison, Qing Liang, Mian Chin, Michelle L. L. Santee, Johannes Flemming, Warren P. P. Smith, Shawn B. B. Honomichl, James F. F. Bresch, Leslie R. R. Lait, Yunqian Zhu, Simone Tilmes, Peter R. R. Colarco, Juying Warner, Adrien Vuvan, Cathy Clerbaux, Elliot L. L. Atlas, Paul A. A. Newman, Troy Thornberry, William J. J. Randel, Owen B. B. Toon
Summary: This study investigates the Asian summer monsoon as a chemical transport system using models and validates the results with airborne measurements. The research reveals that the anticyclone eddy shedding in the upper troposphere transports Asian boundary layer air masses to the Western Pacific. These transported air masses contain significantly enhanced aerosol loading and a complex chemical mixture. However, different models often predict different concentrations of transported trace gases and aerosols.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
B. -Th Karatsolis, B. C. Lougheed, D. De Vleeschouwer, J. Henderiks
Summary: This study found that ocean productivity abruptly declined about 4.6 million years ago, potentially due to reduced seasonality and monsoon intensity leading to decreased nutrient supply. The previous period of productivity bloom was attributed to an increase or redistribution of available nutrients. The decline in low-latitude ocean productivity was found to be linked to a weakened monsoon and decreased riverine nutrient supply.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Wei Hua, Changji Xia, Qin Hu, Kaiqing Yang, Guangzhou Fan
Summary: The Asian-Pacific Oscillation (APO), a zonal teleconnection pattern dominating in Asian-North Pacific sector, is highly variable and considerably impacts the climate, economy, society, and environment on regional and global scales. The study investigates the summer APO pattern and its projected changes under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) using global climate models. The results show that the models are able to capture the spatial features of APO, but have difficulty reproducing its interannual variability and long-term trend. The models project a weakening of APO during the late 21st century, with the largest decrease occurring under the scenario with the highest radiative forcing.
THEORETICAL AND APPLIED CLIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jiayi Lu, Huan Yang, Michael L. Griffiths, Natalie J. Burls, Guoqiao Xiao, Jilong Yang, Jessica K. Wang, Kathleen R. Johnson, Shucheng Xie
Summary: The study suggests that during the Early Pliocene, the redistribution of monsoon rainfall across East Asia was likely due to the equatorward contraction of the western Pacific warm pool, reduced summer convection in the western subtropical Pacific, and the strengthening of the Hadley and Walker circulations.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Zhixiang Wang, Yongdong Mao, Rui Zhang, David B. Kemp, Chunju Huang
Summary: This study investigates the hydrological cycle in Northern China during the Pliocene using a continuous cyclostratigraphic record. The results show that the hydrological cycling in the region was controlled by long and short orbital eccentricity. The expansion of the Antarctic ice sheet and the orbital configuration around 4.2-4.4 Ma may have contributed to the strengthening of the East Asian summer monsoon.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ze Zhang, Alexis Licht, David De Vleeschouwer, Zhixiang Wang, Yanzhen Li, David B. Kemp, Liangcheng Tan, Rui Zhang, Xiaoke Qiang, Chunju Huang
Summary: Sedimentary archives from the Mio-Pliocene and Pleistocene periods in NE Tibet show a different response to orbital forcing. While the Mio-Pliocene records demonstrate a monotonic response dominated by eccentricity, the Pleistocene records display a more stochastic response that varies regionally and temporally. The transition between these two responses is attributed to the increase in Northern Hemisphere ice volume, leading to a decreased monsoonal rainfall in the late Pliocene and a heightened response to obliquity and climate stochasticity.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Seogyeong Kim, Kyung-Ja Ha
Summary: Understanding the variabilities of East Asian summer rainfall (EASR) and Western North Pacific summer rainfall (WNPSR) is essential for controlling energy and water supply. The study found that interannual variation is dominant in both indices, while decadal variation is more significant in WNPSR than in EASR. This suggests that there are differing mechanisms in adjusting rainfall during monsoon events between decadal and interannual variabilities.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yanhong Zheng, Alexey Fedorov, Natalie J. Burls, Rui Zhang, Chris M. Brierley, Zhengkun Fang, Xuefeng Yu, Feng Xian, Hongxuan Lu
Summary: This study reconstructs the hydroclimate changes in Northern China during the Pliocene and finds previously undocumented severe drought conditions. It also highlights the significant impact of the reduction in the Pacific meridional sea surface temperature gradient on precipitation over Northern China, indicating the crucial role of the tropical ocean in controlling the extra-tropical hydrological cycle.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hongrui Zhang, Yongsong Huang, Reto Wijker, Isabel Cacho, Judit Torner, Madeleine Santos, Oliver Kost, Bingbing Wei, Heather Stoll
Summary: The high-resolution paleoclimate records on the Iberian Margin are important for studying abrupt climate events. Previous studies suggested a correlation between surface cooling and water freshening, but recent data indicate that the high concentration of a specific alkenone is not caused by decreased salinity, but by a decrease in sea surface temperature. Additionally, surface freshening does not always trigger cooling during millennial climate changes, sometimes occurring in the middle of cooling events and potentially amplifying temperature decrease.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Huayu Lu, Xiaoyong Wang, Yao Wang, Xiaojian Zhang, Shuangwen Yi, Xianyan Wang, Thomas Stevens, Redzhep Kurbanov, Slobodan B. Markovic
Summary: The paper highlights the recent progress in understanding the variability and dynamics of the Asian monsoon through Chinese loess records. It discusses the reliability of the timescale and proxy indicators for the loess-paleosol sequences, as well as the driving mechanisms behind Asian monsoon variations. The study concludes that both orbital and millennial-scale factors play a role in influencing the Asian monsoon variability.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Houchun Guan, Shengqian Dai, Chunmei Ma, Li Wu, Yougui Song, Ming Huang
Summary: This study reconstructed the paleoclimatic changes synchronous with five episodes during MIS 7 in the Chaohu Lake Basin, East China, based on a variety of proxies from the Xiashu Loess deposit. It proposed that the paleoclimate change in the area during MIS 7 might be controlled by low-latitude insolation on orbital time scale and directly driven by global ice volume variations on millennial scales.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Li Zhi-wen, Sun Li, Li Bao-sheng, Wang Feng-nian, Du Ding-ding, Song You-gui, Zhang Hui-Juan, Chen Liu-qin, Xu Dan
Summary: Previous studies on the amplitude of East Asian summer monsoon changes mainly focused on northern China. This study sheds light on the subtropical zone of southern China and examines the relationship between the migration of representative mammal fauna and the intensity of East Asian summer monsoon. The findings suggest that the migration of fauna is consistent with global climate changes, mainly driven by fluctuations in total solar radiation at 35°N in the winter half-year.
JOURNAL OF MOUNTAIN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Peng Cheng, Jibao Dong, Weijian Zhou, Yougui Song, Jie Zhou, Yukun Fan, Jianghu Lan, Feng Xian, Yaoyao Hou, Ning Chen, Hua Du, Yunchong Fu, Xuefeng Lu
Summary: This study examines the influence of climate on the reliability of C-14 ages from loess organic materials. The results show that anomalous C-14 ages correspond to wet and dry climate periods, with young and old C-14 age deviations respectively. High temperature combustion results reveal that refractory carbon liberated during dry periods can constitute up to 70% of the total organic carbon. On the other hand, during wet periods, the low temperature fraction can contain up to 85% young carbon. These findings emphasize the importance of considering climate when interpreting C-14 ages in loess.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yougui Song, Xiuling Chen, Yue Li, Yifei Fan, Adrian L. Collins
Summary: The study of windborne sediments in the Taklimakan Desert is important in the context of global change. This study used various techniques to examine the sediments in the desert and quantified the contributions from different sources. The results showed heterogeneity in the geochemistry of the sediments. The main sources of the sediments were identified as Tianshan, PamirsKunlun, and Kunlun-Altun, and their contributions varied for different samples. Fluvial transport was found to be the main mechanism for the Kunlun-Altun-derived sediment, while a combination of fluvial and wind transport contributed to the Pamirs-Kunlun source, and aeolian processes played a major role in distributing the Tianshan-derived sediment in the desert.
Article
Geography, Physical
Thomas Stevens, Daniele Sechi, Charilaos Tziavaras, Ramona Schneider, Adriano Banak, Stefano Andreucci, Martina Hattestrand, Vincenzo Pascucci
Summary: Loess deposits have been discovered in central Sweden, expanding the known area of loess coverage and suggesting that loess deposits are more common in Sweden than previously believed. The age of the loess deposits contradicts the timing of dune activity, indicating either mixing of sediments during soil formation or periodic landscape destabilization. There is also a topographic control on aeolian sedimentary facies, with loess mantling high ground and dunes restricted to valleys.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Melanie Stammler, Thomas Stevens, Daniel Holbling
Summary: The current climate change in the Arctic has unprecedented impacts on the environment and landscape. In Arctic Sweden, aeolian sand dunes are affected by climate changes, and their type, location, and orientation can be used to understand past wind patterns and landscape destabilization. Geographic object-based image analysis is a suitable method to map these dunes. The study reveals that glaciofluvial and fluvial disturbances played a significant role in the formation of dune systems in Arctic Sweden.
PERMAFROST AND PERIGLACIAL PROCESSES
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Le Li, Xiaoyu Zhu, Gen K. Li, Lianwen Liu, Zhiwei Xu, Huayu Lu, Xiaomin Fang, Yougui Song, Liang Zhao, Jun Chen, Gaojun Li
Summary: Understanding the mechanism of dust generation is crucial for assessing global nutrient element cycles and interpreting paleorecords from wind-blown deposits. This study investigates the production of silt-sized particles in the Taklimakan Desert using a geochemical tracer and isotopes. The findings reveal that a significant proportion of silt particles in the desert are generated through in-situ desert processes.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Liangqing Cheng, Yougui Song, Linhai Yang, Hong Chang, Yubin Wu, Hao Long, Xiaodong Miao, Zhibao Dong
Summary: This study analyzes data from a loess section in eastern Central Asia and finds that the sorting coefficient can more sensitively reflect the intensity of the Siberian High, revealing a significant influence of the Siberian High on the East Asian Summer Monsoon.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yudong Li, Yue Li, Yougui Song, Haoru Wei, Yanping Wang, Nosir Shukurov
Summary: This study investigates the moisture evolution in the Ili Basin in Northwest China since the last glacial maximum. The results suggest that the intensity of westerlies is the main driving factor for moisture changes in the region.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Li Sun, Zhiwen Li, Yougui Song, Hongyi Zhou, Qingbin Fan, Wubiao Li, Ni Tang
Summary: This study focuses on the Zhifu section in Zhifu Island, Shandong Province, China. The optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating method was used to construct the chronological framework, and grain size and its components were analyzed. The results reveal patterns of climate fluctuation over a ten-thousand-year timescale.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qiansuo Wang, Yougui Song, Linqiong Duan, Jinchan Li
Summary: Chinese loess on the Loess Plateau provides valuable records of paleoclimate changes. By analyzing the grain-size components of aeolian sediments, we reconstructed the history of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). Our study found that two major grain-size components (fine and coarse) varied among different loess sections due to factors such as material source distance and post-depositional pedogenesis. Comparisons between sensitive grain-size components and EAWM patterns indicated that the coarse grain-size components can serve as a proxy indicator for the EAWM on the Loess Plateau.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yue Li, Yougui Song, Xiuling Chen, Zhengguo Shi, Dimitris G. Kaskaoutis, Hamid Gholami, Yudong Li
Summary: This study quantitatively restored loess provenance changes in North Tian Shan, Central Asia, based on trace element analyses of the Nilka loess section using sediment source fingerprinting and random forest modeling. The results showed that alluvium and proluvial on the piedmont slopes/plains were the main sources for the loess, with less contributions from deserts. The enhanced westerly-linked moisture transport controlled by obliquity and precession forcings largely suppressed loess accumulation.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jingyun Xiao, Yougui Song, Yue Li
Summary: This study compares and evaluates three quantitative mineral analysis methods and finds that they have consistent accuracy for mixtures without clay minerals but show significant differences in accuracy for clay-mineral-containing samples. The FPS method is more suitable for sediments, the Rietveld method is capable of quantifying complicated non-clay samples, but may struggle with phases with disordered or unknown structures, and the RIR method is handy but less accurate. These findings are expected to be an important reference for the quantitative analysis of minerals in sediments.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hong Ao, Eelco J. Rohling, Xinzhou Li, Yougui Song, Andrew P. Roberts, Yongming Han, Christopher J. Poulsen, Tara N. Jonell, Diederik Liebrand, Qiang Sun, Xinxia Li, Xiaoke Qiang, Peng Zhang, Mark J. Dekkers
Summary: Grain size and magnetic susceptibility records from the Chinese Loess Plateau and model simulations suggest that the dry and windy Asian glacials during the mid-Pleistocene transition were likely caused by the expansion of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheet. The extreme glacial loess coarsening events at the onset and middle of the mid-Pleistocene transition reflect intensified Asian aridification and winter monsoon activity, coinciding with Northern Hemisphere glacial ice sheet expansion. These findings indicate that the dry and windy Asian glacials were driven by an amplified terrestrial climate response to the coincident Northern Hemisphere ice sheet expansion.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
