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Using Lanczos filtered simulation results from the ECHO-G coupled ocean-atmosphere model, this study analyzes the spatiotemporal structure of temperature and precipitation on centennial time scale to examine how climate change in eastern China responded to external forcing during the last millennium. The conclusions are (1) eastern China experienced a warm-cold-warm climate transition, and the transition from the warm period to the cold period was slower than the cold to warm transition which followed it. There was more rainfall in the warm periods, and the transitional peak and valley of precipitation lag those of temperature. The effective solar radiation and solar irradiance have significant impacts on the temporal variation of both temperature and precipitation. Volcanic activity plays an important role in the sudden drop of temperature before the Present Warm Period (PWP). There is a positive correlation between precipitation and volcanic activity before 1400 A.D., and a negative relationship between the two thereafter. The concentration of greenhouse gases increases in the PWP, and the temperature and precipitation increase accordingly. (2) The spatial pattern of the first leading empirical orthogonal function (EOF) mode of temperature on centennial time scale is consistent with that on the inter-annual/inter-decadal (IA-ID) time scales; namely, the entirety of eastern China is of the same sign. This pattern has good coherence with effective solar radiation and the concentrations of greenhouse gases. The first leading EOF mode of precipitation on centennial time scale is totally different from that on the IA-ID time scales. The first leading mode of centennial time scale changes consistently over the entirety of eastern China, while the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers are the opposite to the rest of eastern China is the leading spatial pattern on IA-ID time scale. The distribution of precipitation on centennial time scale is affected by solar irradiance and greenhouse gas concentrations.

Multifold palynological diversity indices calculated by pollen data of the Heqing deep drilling core are synthetically analyzed, the results show that the plant diversity rapidly increased and its fluctuant amplitude and frequency evidently largened during the stages of 2.729–2.608 Ma, 1.176–0.342 Ma and since 0.118 Ma respectively, while during the other periods the plant diversity was relatively low with a gentle fluctuation. To discuss further the relation between ancient plant diversity and paleoenvironment, it is considered that the plant diversity in the Heqing region lies on increase or decrease of vertical vegetational belts in mountains around the studied area and richness of components of these vegetational belts, and is controlled by amplitude of tectonic uplift of mountains and climatic changes. The high plant diversity during 2.729–2.608 Ma responded to the strong uplift of mountains at the stage, while the plant diversity greatly increased and its fluctuant amplitude and frequency markedly largened at about 1.176 Ma was obviously response to the Middle Pleistocene Transition. The plant diversity and its fluctuant amplitude and frequency increased further at about 0.991 Ma may be superposably affected by both the Middle Pleistocene Transition and the tectonic uplift. The plant diversity increased since 0.118 Ma may indicate that the southwest monsoon strengthened and humid climate more fitted many kinds of plants to grow.

Based on the analysis of carbonate content and loss on ignition for a long sediment core (737 m in length) drilled in Heqing, the orbital scale evolution of the Southwest Monsoon is revealed, by using overlapped spectral analysis and filter methods. It is shown that the obliquity cycle and precession cycle are the key factors for the Southwest Monsoon evolution and that the change of the global ice volume and the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau also impose great influences on it.

The δ 18O records of ostracode shells in sediments of core QH-2000 from Qinghai Lake can be used as a better proxy to reflect monsoon changes. Low monsoon precipitation between 17.5 and 11 cal. ka BP is indicated by positive δ 18O values averaging 2.37‰. A fast shift in δ 18O from positive at 11 cal. ka BP to negative at 10 cal. ka BP indicates sharp increase of monsoon precipitation. An interval of generally high monsoon precipitation is observed between 10 and 6 cal. ka BP with δ 18O values averaging −2.15‰. Decrease of monsoon precipitation between 6 and 2.5 cal. ka BP is indicated by positive δ 18O values. δ 18O keeps positive values averaging 3.0‰ between 2.5 and 0 cal. ka BP suggesting low high monsoon precipitation. The climatic changes indicated by δ 18O records of ostracode shells in sediments of core QH-2000 from Qinghai Lake and our broader regional comparison show that the climate in Qinghai Lake since the late Glacial is probably controlled by southwest monsoon other than southeast monsoon.

The results of an investigation into the relationship between surface sediment subfossil chironomid distribution and water quality are presented. Data from 30 lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River indicate that the nutrient gradient was the major factor affecting the distribution of chironomids across these sites. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that of 12 summer water environmental variables, total Phosphorus was most important, accounting for 20.1% of the variance in the chironomid data. This was significant enough to allow the development of quantitative inference models. A TP inference model was developed using weighted averaging (WA), partial least squares (PLS) and weighted averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS). An optimal two-component WA-PLS model provided a high jack-knifed coefficient of prediction for conductivity r 2 jack = 0.76, with a low root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEPjack = 0.13). Using this model it is possible to produce long-term quantitative records of past water quality for lacustrine sites across the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, which has important implications for future lake management and ecological restoration.

With high association constants in nonpolar solvents, the quadruple hydrogen bonding arrays of 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinones are recently considered to be one of the ideal building blocks to construct the complicated and functional supramolecular systems. In this paper, we review the latest achievements of the supramolecular assemblies based on 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone AADD quadruple hydrogen bonding building blocks.

A continuous pollen record from the Zoige Basin in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau not only provides information on the vegetation and climate changes during the last two glacial/interglacial cycles, but also gives proof to establish the time scale of the upper 60 m of the RM core. Subalpine spruce-fir forests colonized the Zoige Basin during the interglacials and interstadials, implying warm and wet climate conditions. Alpine periglacial desert or dry desert may have existed during the penultimate glacial and the last glacial maxima, respectively. Alpine sedge meadow dominated the landscape during MIS 4. The MIS 3 is punctuated by a number of stadials similar to those documented in the Guliya and GISP2 ice cores, as indicated by repeated rise and fall of subalpine spruce-fir forests. Our pollen record reveals a regional climate history similar to those from the neighboring sites, including the Arabian Sea and the Guliya ice core, and thus supports the notion that the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau acts as an important link between climatic events in the North Atlantic realm and the Asian monsoon domain.

Simulated research of internal loading and collecting and analyzing the samples from the lakes were carried out before and after dredging in polluted suburb lakes, Wuli Lake (Wuxi City) and Xuanwu Lake (Nanjing City). The research results showed that dredging can inhibit internal loadings in a certain degree in a short term. The discrepancy of dredging effect and technical level, namely dredging quality, by different dredging methods will result in a difference of control of lake internal loadings. The internal loadings’ reversion will gradually appear along with the biogeochemical processes, including suspended particle precipitation, hydrodynamic disturbance and microbio-transformation. The reversion rate mainly depends on the dredging method and the change of interfacial processes on the newborn surface layer. The higher nutrient contents and organic matter in the sediment will enhance water-sediment interfacial processes and nutrients regeneration. It is very important to study the physicochemical and biological character of lacustrine sediments before dredging for determining the dredging methods and predicting their environmental effect.

Based on the function relationship between the shell length ofLimnocythere inopinata and the salinity of its living water in Tibetan Plateau lakes, the paleosalinty of Qinghai Lake in the past 900 years was reconstructed through the measurement of the adult body length ofLimnocythere inopinata. Meanwhile, the paleosalinity sequence of Qinghai Lake during the same period was rebuilt by the Sr/Ca ratio of the shell ofEucypris inflata combined with the Sr/Ca ratio of living ostracod valves from the species of genusEucypris inflata and the host water. The paleosalinity results obtained by two different methods were compared and assessed in this paper. To check the result, it was also contrasted with other historical climatic sequences of this area including tree ring and ice core. It was shown that the paleosalinity sequence rebuilt by adult ostracod body length had high reliability, and the paleosalinity reconstruction method by trace elements of ostracod shells was not suitable for Qinghai Lake. From the reconstructed paleosalinty sequence of Qinghai Lake, it can be found that low salinity during 1160–1290 AD showed the humid climate condition on the Mediaeval Warm Period in this area, while the high salinity during 1410–1540 AD, 1610–1670 AD and 1770–1850 AD which was corresponding to the three cold pulses of the Little Ice Age with a dry climate condition. And the high salinity in the latest several decades was consistent with recent warm and dry trends of the climate in this area. The good consistency of the reconstructed palaeosalinity sequence and the precipitation sequence in this area rebuilt by tree ring proves the reconstruction of past lake salinity is reliable.

The87Sr/86Sr ratios of silicate (acid-insoluble, AI) and carbonate (acid-soluble, AS) of the lake sediments from the Daihai Lake, Inner Mongolia, since the last 500 years are measured respectively, indicating that chemical weathering of silicate minerals was in an early stage since the Little Ice Age within the Daihai watershed by combination with mineral constitute, Rb/Sr ratio and CaCO3 content in the sediments. During the Little Ice Age maximum, an evident peak in the87Sr/86Sr ratios of both silicate and carbonate in sediments suggests that a cold climate condition is unfavorable to dissolving radiogenic strontium from silicate minerals. Meanwhile, the variation of87Sr/86Sr ratios of silicate and carbonate also reflects a projected warming climate favorable to intensifying chemical weathering after the Little Ice Age. Consequently, the87Sr/86Sr ratio of both silicate and carbonate in inland lake sediments can be used as an effective proxy of the past climate in single watershed.

LGM climate study is a hot topic in international fields on global changes. Climate simulation in this study applies both common designs of 21 kaBP boundary conditions from the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP), including insolation, glaciation, sea surface temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration, and land surface conditions from Eurasia continent by compilation of geological evidence. The simulation outputs are in agreement with climate spatial patterns reconstructed by observation records. Sensitive experiment on land surface conditions shows that changes in vegetation would make significant impacts on temperature and precipitation. Particularly in the Tibetan Plateau, this change would increase in differences of winter and summer temperature, precipitation and P-E.

Quantitative estimates of the precipitation on different lake sites at the three time phases, i.e. 30, 18, and 6 kaBP by using the combined hydrological and energy budget model, make it possible to reconstruct the large changes in spatial precipitation patterns since the late Quaternary. The results have shown that, very strong precipitation occurred in western China at 30 kaBP, suggesting extremely enhanced summer Indian monsoon. Precipitation was high in south-western China at 18 kaBP, especially the southern part of southwestern China, due to the southward shift of the westerlies and a low pressure cell occurred over northern India. The precipitation at 6 kaBP shows the complicated patterns for different regions of China, suggesting different climate dynamics. The comparison of the independent lake level/ area-based reconstruction of precipitation and the palaeoclimate simulations is an effective way for the validation of each method to reconstruct the palaeo-precipitation quantitatively, and for understanding the dynamic mechanisms of climatic change.

Ostracods are small bivalved aquatic crustaceans. They secrete shells of low-Mg calcite that are often preserved in lake sediments. Recent work has shown that the uptake of trace elements (especially Mg and Sr) into the shell may be a function of the salinity and temperature of the host water. We measured Sr/Ca ratios in living ostracod valves from the species of genusLimnocythere cf. inopinata and Sr2+/Ca2+ ratios of the host water to calculate distribution coefficient of genusLimnocythere cf. inopinata in the Daihai Lake. A function for Sr2+/Ca2+ ratio and salinity was established by measuring a series of Sr2+/Ca2+ ratios and salinities of the lake water in different places of the Daihai Lake. Finally paleosalinities of the lake water were quantitatively reconstructed by the Sr/Ca ratios of ostracod shells of the same species in sediment core of the Daihai Lake.

Chinese lake status database has provided systematic geological records of much higher lake level and fresher water than today at the LGM from western China. This wet condition was significant contrast with very dry conditions in eastern China. Together with lake studies from Eurasian continents, there was a wet-condition belt from the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Central Asia to western China. Palaeoclimate simulations confirmed that the wet conditions in western China were produced by decrease of the evaporation and increase of precipitation by positive anomaly of annual P-E of 70-95 mm/a between the LGM and today. The westerlies enhanced in the strength and shifted southwards-eastwards in the position, and the low thermal conditions in the Eurasian continent creating temperature 4-16℃ lower than today and relatively low evaporation, were the major two important climate conditions to yield cold-wet climates in western China.

Organic lipids with different occurrence modes in a sedimentary core in a subtropical freshwater lake, Gucheng Lake, were sequentially extracted, separated and analyzed. The down-core variations of OEP index of alkanes, C18:2/C18:0 ratios of fatty acids, ratios of bound, fatty acids to free fatty acids, thermo-maturity indices of hopanoid hydrocarbons and rerative concentrations of sedimentary minerals revealed an evident increasing in allochthonous input from rock detritus below 12.28 m in the sedimentary profile. The distribution pattern of tightlybound β-hydroxy fatty acids indicated a difference in bacterial communities above and below the boundary, as well as the gammacerane index may assign a significant change in lake water salinity. The evidence, in general, suggested that a significant paleoenvironmental change had taken place in ca. 9.6 kaBP on the regional basis.

Previous palaeomagnetic work shows that the mechanism of remanence acquisition on sediments is very complicated. Different magnetizing processes under different conditions may produce some anomalous magnetic signals which have nothing to do with the changes of the geomagnetic field and are difficult to explain. The depositional remanent magnetization (DRM) may produce an inclination error and a bedding error, while postdepositional remanent magnetization (PDRM) may result in a time delay between the magnetic and sedimentary ages. When there are some different magnetic phases with different lock-in depths in the sediments, it is difficult to judge the depth of the reversal or excursion, or even the artificial magnetic signal may be produced. Even if there is only one magnetic phase in the sediment, the recorded magnetic signals may also be different if the lock-in depth is changed comparative to the lasting period of one reversal or excursion. Demagnetization may also change the primary magnetic records and the changes of water content may result in the displacement of magnetic boundary. The so-called “unstable core”, representing subtle changes in mineralogy into and out of a self-reversal region or a viscous magnetization region, gives a complicated palaeornagnetic record with many apparent changes in the palaeomagnetic direction. Moreover, some physical disturbances, such as biodisturbance, deformation, drilling processes and drying effects, may result in the remanence alteration. Some palaeomagnetic investigations demonstrate that good magnetic signals are invariably achieved on homogenous mud or clay sediments, but the worse signals on inhomogeneous profiles, especially on sandy layers.

The study of the sediment of Core M1 from Jianghan Plain suggests that the sediment source of this area changed in the Holocene, which corresponds with thr south moving of the Yangtze River. Since then, the sediment source has been mainly from the Hanshui River.

The lake sediments have registered the information of palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment in the lake itself and the regional scale. This also leads to a complexity in study of the palaeolimnology by all kinds of proxies. How to purify these proxies to indicate the palaeoclimate has become a problem to be solved. Most of the proxies can qualitively identify the percentage of allochthonous and autochthonous organic components, e.g. δ13corg CD/TC. The model introduced in this note has provided a method of quantitatively calculating the amount of allochthonous organic carbon. As for determination of regulating parameters, i.e. A1 and As, further work is still in need.

THE Gucheng Lake is located in Gaochun County, Jiangsu Province, China (31" 14'36"31°19'28"N, 118"51i34"-1 1g057'56"E). It lies in the southeast monsoon climate area. To study the paleoclimatic and environmental change of the lake area since Late Ice Age and clarify evolution of the southeast monsoon, a core of 20 m (GS1) was drilled at the center of the lake in November, 1992. During the research it was found that high garnmacerane contents occur in the interval of 12.08-5.55 m, and gammacerane indexes are also high in this section. These indicate that salinity of the lake water increased in this stage. Many brackish di

Dating lake sediment using sedimentary event is the supplement and calibration to traditional dating by radionuclide such as 210Pb and 137Cs. Based on the change of spheroidal carbonaceous particle (SCP) concentration, the age sequence of lake sediments can be deduced. It is one of the dating methods using sedimentary event. SCP is formed from combustion of fossil fuel at high temperature up to 1750°C and at a rate of heating of approaching 104 °C/s. It can be dispersed to several hundred kilometers away from its source and deposited with precipitation or dryly deposited, and kept in sediments. Compared with Cs or Pb, there is no evidence for SCP that it decays in lake sediments and is un-removable once stored except by physical disturbance because it is mainly composed of element carbon. Handy method to extract, identify and calculate has been developed. Although fossil fuel has been used early in China, combustion at high temperature started later since emergence of electricity generation. The productivity of SCP is positively related with the generated thermal power, which is reflected as the SCP concentration in lake sediments increases with the increase of generated thermal power. Therefore, reliable sediment markers from the start of the SCP record and the remarkable variation can be used for dating purpose. In China, electricity industry started from the 1950s, and rapid increase of generated power took place since 1978. Based on these time markers, SCP time sequences of lake sediment cores LH and LL-4 from Longgan Lake, the middle reach of the Yangtze River, have been established, which is comparable with the results from 137Cs and 210Pb, and has eliminated the errors of dating using 137Cs and 210Pb.

The paleoclimate and paleoenvironment of Qinghai Lake indicated by a 16000-year pollen record are as follows. It was very cold and dry before 15200 years. During the Late Glacial, the climate varied from colder and semiarid to cool and semi-humid and fluctuated frequently but with little amplitude. Three cold events in the periods of 13400–13000, 11600–12000, and 11000–10400 aBP respectively correspond to the Oldest Dryas, Older Dryas and Younger Dryas events, whereas the two warm periods between them, 12000–13000 and 11600–11000 aBP, respectively correspond to Bolling and Allerod periods. The temperature increased abruptly after the Younger Dryas event, and then the climate gradually turned to be warm and wet from warm and semiarid. In the Holocene, the largest amplitude of cold event that occurred at ca. 8200 aBP is quite prominent. The Holocene climatic optimum culminated at 6700 aBP. After 2100 aBP, the climate tended to be cold and dry, keeping on up to now. Palaeoclimatic evolution and events of Qinghai Lake based on pollen assemblage and concentrations can be well parallel with the global climatic events.