Critical transitions in Chinese dunes during the past 12,000 years

Abstract

Dune systems can have alternative stable states that coexist under certain environmental conditions: a vegetated, stabilized state and a bare active state. This behavior implies the possibility of abrupt transitions from one state to another in response to gradual environmental change. Here, we synthesize stratigraphic records covering 12,000 years of dynamics of this system at 144 localities across three dune fields in northern China. We find side-by-side coexistence of active and stabilized states, and occasional sharp shifts in time between those contrasting states. Those shifts occur asynchronously despite the fact that the entire landscape has been subject to the same gradual changes in monsoon rainfall and other conditions. At larger scale, the spatial heterogeneity in dune dynamics averages out to produce relatively smooth change. However, our results do show different paths of recovery and collapse of vegetation at system-wide scales, implying that hysteretic behavior occurs in spatially extended systems.

Early Holocene weakening and mid- to late Holocene strengthening of the East Asian winter monsoon

“…3G; Chen et al, 2015), stabilized dune proportion analysis in northern and northeastern China ( Fig. 3H; Xu et al, 2020), and loess MS records from the CLP (e.g., Stevens et al, 2008Stevens et al, , 2018Lu et al, 2013). Moreover, recent stacked Holocene stalagmite δ 18 O records from China support a maximum EASM intensity at ca.…”

“…Zheng et al, 2014), changes in the proportion of mobile desert dunes in northern and northeastern China ( Fig. 3E; Xu et al, 2020), the U k′ (sea-surface temperature proxy) record from the northern coast of the South China Sea (Zhang et al, 2019), and lake MGS records from arid northwestern China (An et al, 2011). The discrepancies in EAWM variation details between these studies are primarily due to chronological uncertainty, proxy sensitivity, and sediment resolution.…”

Holocene Monsoon Change and Abrupt Events on the Western Chinese Loess Plateau as Revealed by Accurately Dated Stalagmites

“…Comparisons of Wuya δ 18 O record and modeled precipitation in the north limit of the ASM, as well as other stalagmite records from Asian monsoon domain. (a) CCSM3 model simulated precipitation in the north limit of the ASM (Z. Xu et al, 2020), (b) δ 18 O record from Wuya Cave (this study), (c) Northern Hemisphere summer insolation (NHSI) at 30°N (Berger & Loutre, 1991), (d) δ 18 O record from Zhenzhu Cave (Y. Li et al, 2020), (e) pollen‐reconstructed rainfall from Gonghai lake, eastern CLP (F. Chen et al, 2015), (f) δ 18 O record from Xianglong Cave, central China (Tan, Shen, et al, 2018), (g) δ 18 O records from Sanbao Cave, central China (Dong et al, 2010), (h) δ 18 O records from Dongge Cave, southern China (green line: Dykoski et al, 2005; gray line: Y. Wang et al, 2005), (i) δ 18 O records from Qunf Cave, Oman (Fleitmann et al, 2003). …”

Vegetation feedback causes delayed ecosystem response to East Asian Summer Monsoon Rainfall during the Holocene

“…2, "Methods," Supplementary Data 1). In contrast, another group of records show a mid-Holocene peak, characterized by a salient wetting trend and increased tree cover from the early to mid-Holocene 2,[13][14][15][16][17] , followed by a drying trend and declining tree cover afterwards. These records include the pollenbased rainfall reconstruction in Gonghai Lake 13 (blue in Fig.…”