Links between the East Asian monsoon and North Atlantic climate during the 8,200 year event

A period of cooling in the North Atlantic region 8,200 years ago affected climate throughout the Northern Hemisphere. A speleothem record from central China indicates that a dry period lasting 150 years was associated with the 8,200 year event. An abrupt cooling event in the North Atlantic region 8,200 years ago affected climate throughout the Northern Hemisphere1,2,3. The event is well constrained in Greenland ice cores3, but lack of resolution in records from other regions has challenged our understanding of the timing and nature of the associated teleconnections. Speleothem records from East Asia have suggested monsoonal changes associated with the 8,200 year event, but the nature of these changes remains controversial1,2. Here we assess changes in East Asian precipitation during the event from a sub-annually resolved stalagmite record from central China. Using δ18O and Mg/Ca measurements of the speleothem carbonate, we show that climate dried significantly about 8,200 years ago. Based on our annual-layer-counted chronology, we show that the dry event lasted 150 years, with a central period of pronounced aridity that lasted 70 years. The duration and evolution of the event is indistinguishable from that observed in the Greenland ice cores. We therefore conclude that an effective and rapid atmospheric teleconnection exists between the North Atlantic and the monsoon system in warm climates similar to today’s.