Search

How often have past climates undergone abrupt transitions? While our understanding of millennial variability during the past 130,000 years is well established, with precise dates available, such information on previous climate cycles is limited. To address this question, we identified 196 abrupt transitions in the δ18O record of the well-dated Chinese composite speleothem for the last 640,000 years. These results correspond to abrupt changes in the strength of the East Asian Monsoon, which align with the Greenland stadials and interstadials observed in the North Atlantic region during the last 130,000 years before present. These precise dates of past abrupt climate changes constitute a reliable and necessary benchmark for Earth System models used to study future climate scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that speleothems from the northern rim of the European Alps captured submillennial‐scale climate change during the last glacial period with exceptional sensitivity and resolution, mimicking Greenland ice‐core records. Here we extend this so‐called NALPS19 record across the Late Glacial using two stalagmites which grew continuously into the Holocene. Both specimens show the same high‐amplitude δ18O signal as Greenland ice cores down to decadal resolution. The start of the warming at the onset of the equivalent of Greenland Interstadial (GI) GI‐1e at 14.66 ± 0.18 ka agrees with the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) (14.64 ± 0.28 ka) and comprised a temperature rise of about 5–6 °C. The transition from the equivalent of GI‐1a into the equivalent of Greenland Stadial (GS) GS‐1 (broadly equivalent to the Younger Dryas) commenced at 13.02 ± 0.13 ka which is consistent with NGRIP (12.80 ± 0.26 ka) within errors. The onset of the Holocene started at 11.78 ± 0.14 ka (11.65 ± 0.10 ka at NGRIP) and involved a warming of about 4–5 °C. In contrast to δ18O, δ13C values show no response to (sub)millennial climate shifts due to strong rock‐buffering and only record a long‐term trend of soil development starting with the rapid warming at 14.7 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a unique continental archive, speleothem has been widely used in reconstructing paleoclimate change. However, the interpretation of Chinese speleothems δ18O has remained a subject of debate. Recently, a Community Atmosphere Model version 3 (CAM3) study indicated that the stalagmite δ18O from eastern China reflected the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) intensity rather than the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) intensity during Heinrich events. Here, we present a high-resolution speleothem δ18O record from Xianglong Cave in Shaanxi province, China, covering the period of 25.5–10.9 ka BP. The XL15 record shows similar variations with ice core record from Greenland and other climate records from China and India on millennial scale, including Heinrich 2 (H2), Heinrich 1 (H1), Bølling–Allerød (BA) and Younger Dryas (YD) events, supporting the connection between the Asian monsoon and northern high latitude climate. The δ18O amplitude of our record is larger than or similar to the stalagmite δ18O records from India during these events. In addition, differences of stalagmite δ18O in eastern China and the ISM region were observed on glacial-interglacial as well as decadal timescales. That means the ISM is not the sole controlling factor of Chinese stalagmite δ18O during Heinrich events. When subtracting the Indian stalagmite δ18O series from our XL15 record during H1 period, we found a significant negative correlation with sea surface temperature (SST) record of Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP). Consequently, our study suggests that the Chinese stalagmite δ18O is controlled by both the ISM and EASM on orbital-, millennial-, and decadal timescales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen isotope (δ18O) records of cave speleothem have played an important role in the past two decades in characterizing the Asian Monsoon (AM) variability and correlating the monsoonal events with other global climate events on millennial timescales. Of a series of millennial events occurred during the last glacial period, the Chinese Stadial-20 (CS-20, corresponding to the Greenland Stadial-20, GS-20) event around ∼73 kyr BP (thousand years before present, where present = 1950 AD) is distinctive, since it is the weakest AM event during the last glacial period and is likely linked to the Toba volcanic super-eruption. While Greenland ice core records are commonly used to correlate the last glacial millennial events, yet their absolute age uncertainties around the GS-20 is larger than 1000 years. This prohibits precise correlations of the event between global climate archives from different climate systems to investigate the underlying climatic dynamics. Here, we present three Chinese cave stalagmite δ18O records from the AM region, covering a period from 76 to 71 kyr BP, across the CS-20. All stalagmites have high uranium contents and relatively fast growth rates, allowing acquisition of high-resolution (∼10 years) δ18O records with precise 230Th age controls (≤200 years, 2σ) to precisely characterize the structure and timing of the CS-20. Our results demonstrate that the onset and termination of the CS-20 are more gradual in Chinese cave records relative to the GS-20 event in Greenland ice core records. As such, we suggest a new 'break-point' approach to correlate CS-20 with GS-20, at either the initial onset or initial termination shifts of the events, instead of the conventional 'mid-point' match. We dated the initial onset and initial termination of CS-20 to ~74.0 ± 0.2 and 72.5 ± 0.2 kyr BP, respectively, confirming the Greenland ice core chronology well within the quoted uncertainty. The 'break-point' correlation at the GS-20/CS-20 initial termination suggests a lagged onset of CS-20 relative to the onset of GS-20. The lagged onset is in line with a northern high-latitude forcing mechanism triggering the event and a central role of oceanic reorganizations in the propagation of the climate signal. An alternative 'break-point' correlation at the GS-20/CS-20 initial onset suggests that the CS-20 initial termination leads the GS-20 initial termination by a few hundred years. This apparent paradox thus calls for further empirical and theoretical studies to better understand the underlying climatic dynamics and in turn the correlation strategy. • New cave δ18O records characterize Greenland Stadial 20 events in monsoon regions. • Break-points replaced mid-points to correlate Greenland and Asian Monsoon events. • The end of the Greenland Stadial 20 event was initiated at 72.5 ± 0.2 kyr BP. • Our data lend age-benchmarks for correlating climate variability around 73 kyr BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate variability during Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) events 19 to 25 (first recognized in the Greenland ice cores) was recorded in the Asian monsoon region, but the climatological dynamic mechanism is still poorly understood. Here, we present a new 230Th absolute chronology and high-resolution record of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) from 117 to 69 kyr B.P. based on 25 230Th ages, 803 oxygen and carbon isotopes, as well as 493 trace element ratios of the YYZ1 stalagmite from Yangzi Cave in Fengdu County, 120 km from Chongqing City, China. The δ 18O record supports a strong ASM during marine isotope stages (MIS) 5a and 5c and a weak ASM during MIS 4, 5b, and 5d. Millennial-scale oscillations of D-O 19–25 were also recorded in our speleothem δ 18O. Multiple environmental proxies, δ13C and trace element records of YYZ1 stalagmite can also reflect local climate and environmental changes. A drought event was clearly identified between 93.0 and 91.5 kyr B.P., referred to as the 92 kyr event, which exhibited a rapid and abrupt fluctuation (V-shaped) based on our multi-proxy results. We found that D-O 25 event was not obvious in our record and in other Chinese speleothem records. The D-O 25 event occurred within a period of decreasing North Hemisphere summer insolation (NHSI), which led to different climate backgrounds, e.g., the increase of ice volume and the corresponding weakening of the Northern Atlantic thermohaline circulation. Conversely, the D-O events within the high NHSI period or the warm stages (MIS5a, MIS5c) exhibited more obvious fluctuations than those in the low NHSI period or the cool stages (MIS5b, MIS5d). Thus, we suggest that the differences between D-O events are mainly related to the change of the ASM in response to variable NHSI. Furthermore, the ASM during D-O events was also influenced by climate variations in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) and low latitudes, which should not be ignored. • Variations in Asian summer monsoon (ASM) during MIS 5 were reconstructed in multi-proxy speleothem records. • A drought event was identified in 92 ka. • Most stalagmites records in China showed smaller trends in δ 18O changes of DO 25 event. • Weak DO events were related to environmental changes at lower latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An annual layer-counted and 230Th-dated stalagmite oxygen isotope record from Qingtian Cave in Hubei province, central China, provides an Asian Monsoon (AM) history across the Allerød to Younger Dryas (YD) transition, with an average 2.5-year resolution. Seasonal δ 18O profiles indicate that the calcite δ 18O is a sensitive proxy for AM changes, and the close similarity between the Qingtian and other cave records from eastern China suggests a large-scale regional coherence of monsoonal precipitation δ 18O variations associated with the temperature changes in high-northern latitudes. The annually-resolved chronology with a U–Th age uncertainty of less than 100 yr defines the timing, duration and transition of the early Allerød, the intra-Allerød cold period (IACP), the late Allerød, and the start of the YD. The 160-yr-long IACP, with two brief reversals, is clearly shown in both δ 18O and lamina thickness records. The early and late Allerød, separated by the IACP, are characterized by several decadal to centennial cycles of δ 18O variations, each punctuated by sub-cycles. These decadal to centennial monsoon variations correlate with the Greenland temperature changes, supporting a model simulation that the decadal North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) are coupled via atmospheric circulation under glacial boundary conditions, perhaps affecting tropical/subtropical monsoon changes. However, the monsoon transition between the late Allerød and YD lasted 380 yr, longer than the analogous Greenland temperature shift by at least 130 yr [Stuiver, M., Grootes, P.M., GISP2 oxygen isotope ratios. Quat. Res. 53 (2000) 277–284]. This implicates other links besides the direct link between Greenland and the AM, which is now well documented. One possibility is the influence by Southern Hemisphere climate via cross-equatorial air flow [An, Z.S., The history and variability of the East Asian paleomonsoon climate. Quat. Sci. Rev. 19 (2000) 171–187]. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Heinrich Stadial 2 (HS2) event is poorly defined in the Greenland δ18O ice core record; however, it can be identified in stalagmite records from China. In this paper, we reconstruct an absolutely-dated and high-resolution calcite δ18O record from Shima Cave, central China, covering the interval from 26.0 to 23.9 ka BP, with a temporal resolution of ~16 years. By integrating our newly reported record with all available δ18O records of Marine Isotope Stage 2 from China, which are securely 230Th/U-dated, we calculate the timing of the onset, termination and duration of HS2. The statistical results show that the prominent HS2a phase started at ~24.4 ± 0.1 ka BP and ended at ~23.6 ± 0.1 ka BP, lasting approximately 0.8 ± 0.3 ka. If the onset of the Dansgaard-Oeschger 2 event in the Greenland δ18O record is synchronous with the termination of HS2a, then the GICC05 chronology should be adjusted by +230 years to align it with stalagmite results. Further investigation of HS2 shows that Chinese cave records exhibit a distinct two-fold structure, corresponding to HS2a and HS2b, as observed in marine sediment cores, particularly those recovered around the Atlantic Ocean. These records show comparable changes in relative amplitudes during the HS2a and HS2b phases, which could possibly be related to different weakening episodes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. • An ~16-year-resolution East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) history covering the onset of Heinrich Stadial 2 event. • Statistical analyses of timing for Heinrich Stadial 2. • Globally pervasive twofold structure during Heinrich Stadial 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The iceberg melting-induced Heinrich events (HEs), which were first reported in 1988, caused a series of centennial-millennial global climate changes during the last glacial period. The patterns and details of low-latitude monsoons, oceans, and atmospheric circulation responses to HEs still need to be understood. Here, we report 11a resolved δ13C, δ18O and 36a resolved Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca multi-proxy stalagmite records during 42.29–37.14 ka BP from Yangkou cave, southwestern China. The Greenland ice cores and the δ18O of stalagmites from northern China recorded a rapid onset/termination of Heinrich stadials (HS) 4 (∼0.2 ka). However, the transition interval for the weakening/strengthening of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) during HS4, as recorded by the southern Chinese stalagmite δ18O, is about 0.5 ka. Low latitude monsoons and hydrological variations are influenced by tropical oceans and interhemispheric thermal contrasts, which prolong the onset/termination transition process of HS4. Our findings highlight the importance of atmosphere-ocean interactions at low latitudes and in the Southern Hemisphere for ASM dynamics, which triggered the termination of millennial-scales abrupt climate events. During HS4, variations of the δ13C and trace elements ratios are inconsistent with δ18O, indicating that while the ASM is weakened, regional hydroclimate and local ecology are not significantly degraded, resulting in a relatively moderate hydrological environment. Prolonged southerly subtropical westerlies, super El Niño Southern Oscillation, western China autumn rains, and lower regional evaporation, may increase regional precipitation in different seasons and regulate hydrological conditions during HS4. As a result, while the ASM has weakened, regional hydrological conditions in the Yangtze River basin in southwest China maintain wet environmental conditions. The gradual northward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and subtropical westerlies during the latter phase of HS4 will cause a limited northward shift of the rainfall bands. Although regional hydrological conditions deteriorate slightly in comparison to the early phase, it remains humid overall. We present new evidence that local hydrological conditions and ASM intensity were not fully coupled during the abrupt climate events on millennial scales in the last glacial period. • A Chinese stalagmite δ18O record with precise chronology reveals evolution of Asian Summer Monsoon during HS4. • At low latitudes, the onset/termination of HS4 is more gradual due to influence of tropical oceans and Southern Hemisphere. • The moderate hydrological environment in southwestern China not exactly follow the variation of ASM during HS4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An anti-phased relationship between Greenland Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) and Antarctic temperature was revealed by ice core records, and the "bipolar see-saw" mechanism has since been proposed in explanation for the interhemispheric thermal redistribution. However, limited by chronology uncertainties of ice cores, particularly the ice age-gas age differences, the exact phase relationship and triggers for millennial-scale events are still in debate. Searching for proxies that could reflect both boreal and austral signals in one geological archive is therefore, a potential solution for the phase dilemma. Here, high-resolution paleoclimatic records from 55.2 to 36.5 ka BP were reconstructed using 21 230Th/U dates and 647 sets of δ18O and δ13C data by one stalagmite HJ1 from Huangjin Cave, Hebei Province, northern China. Robust millennial-scale fluctuations are found in δ18O and δ13C time series, corresponding to DO events 8 to 14 and Heinrich 4 and 5 events within dating errors. Discrepancies exist in the structures and onsets in δ18O and δ13C records; that is, abrupt DO onsets in δ13C data and gradual onsets in δ18O. Timing of DO onsets in δ13C are prior to (e.g. DO12 and DO14) or synchronous with (e.g. DO8 to DO11) those in δ18O. Comparison of HJ1 δ18O and bipolar ice core records suggests that the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) is influenced by both hemispheres, but better mimics the Antarctic temperature. This suggests that the EASM is controlled by the cross equatorial airflows, and further indicates an important role of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in modulating the inter-hemispheric heat gradient. However, our δ13C profile strongly resembles with the Greenland δ18O record on the millennial timescale, in terms of the "sawtooth" structure and the abrupt transition. This indicates that northern high-latitude climate could modulate hydro-thermal conditions in northern China, possibly via the mid-latitude westerly jet and/or the Silk Road teleconnection, which influences the vegetation/biomass changes and thereby controls stalagmite δ13C values. Therefore, HJ1 δ18O receives climatic signals from the Southern Hemisphere (SH) to a larger extent, while δ13C captures largely the changes in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). Furthermore, comparison between calcite and ice core records shows that during DO14, temperature increases in the NH leads the SH cooling by ∼120 years. However, during short-term DO events, the SH may start cooling ∼150 years before the NH warming. These findings demonstrate two possibilities for the NH-SH phase relationship which are dependent on the trigger location of the AMOC recovery and the "bipolar see-saw" mode is likely controlled by the oceanic processes. • Greenland-type sawtooth structure is found in stalagmite δ13C in northern China. • Hydrothermal condition in northern China linked to the northern high-latitude via westerly jet. • Antarctica -type triangle shape revealed in Chinese stalagmite δ18O. • Two types of Greenland-Antarctica phase relationship depend on the trigger location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tropics experienced a unique monsoon climate that drove important changes in socio-economic conditions and shaped different phases of human history during the late Quaternary across the Indian subcontinent. This study presents a new high-resolution speleothem-record of Indian summer monsoon (ISM) variability ranging from ~45,000 to 34,000 yr BP combined with a published record up to 5500 yr BP from the Mawmluh cave, northeastern India. We document significant changes in solar insolation and precession harmonics, implicating solar activity as one of the major forcing factors for rapid monsoonal shifts. Our new δ18O time series shows high-amplitude shifts in the ISM during the marine isotope stage 3 (MIS 3), similar to Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) oscillations recorded at high northern latitudes, which mimic the Greenland ice sheet record. The sun driven Northern Hemisphere high latitude climate anomalies played an active role in driving ISM variability and changes in the regional hydrological cycle on centennial to millennial time scales across the Indian subcontinent. • Longest isotope record of speleothem from the South Asian region • Saw-tooth like isotope variability during MIS 3 • Changes in the NH temperatures impacted the hydroclimatic conditions in the Indian subcontinent. • Source region and transport pathways controlled the speleothem isotopic composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speleothems from the northern rim of the European Alps (NALPS) have provided a number of important, high-resolution, precisely 230Th-dated records of both orbital and millennial-scale climate variability during the last glacial and interglacial periods. The isotopic signatures of such records have helped improve fundamental understanding of the effect that changes in atmospheric and North Atlantic circulation have on European climate, whilst the robust chronologies have provided important information about the timescales upon which the climate can change in this well-populated region. Furthermore, the pattern and timing of isotopic excursions in δ18O as recorded in the calcite of northern Alpine speleothems during the last glacial cycle has been shown to be synchronous within dating uncertainties with the sawtooth-pattern of changes in the δ18O of Greenland ice cores (known as Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles), thus reflecting the shared North Atlantic moisture source and integrated climate system. Here we present a revised chronology over the interval 120-60 ka. We have added an additional 5,000 δ18O measurements dated by 145 precise U-Th ages to the NALPS chronology of Boch et al. (2011), and subsequently taken the most reliable and precisely dated records for the final NALPS19 chronology. Within the interval 118.3 to 63.7 ka, the record is now 90 % complete, compared to 76 % in Boch et al. (2011). Where speleothems grew synchronously, major transitional events between stadials and interstadials (and vice versa) are all in agreement within uncertainty. The NALPS19 chronology is considered with respect to other Northern Hemisphere climate records. Furthermore, we consider the controls that operated on δ18O during the entire NALPS record over the interval c.120-20 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]