Holocene East Asian monsoon variability: Links to solar and tropical Pacific forcing

Abstract

Sedimentary geochemical records from subalpine Retreat Lake, subtropical Taiwan, document the unstable East Asian monsoon (EAM) climate over the past ∼10,300 years, with a weak EAM between ∼10.3 and 8.6 ky B.P., EAM intensity peaks between 8.6 and 7.7 ky B.P., and then gradually decrease in response to summer insolation, heat and moisture transport. Our proxy record reveals several weak monsoon intervals that correlate to low sea surface temperatures in the western tropical Pacific and cold events in the North Atlantic, linking the tropical Pacific, North Atlantic, and Polar climates because weak EAM events at ∼8.2, 5.4 and 4.5–2.1 ky B.P. also correspond to low values of atmospheric methane and periods of reduced North Atlantic Deep Water formation. We therefore suggest that centennial to millennial scale monsoon variability during the Holocene in the northern subtropics is globally‐mediated via a sun‐ocean‐monsoon‐North Atlantic linkage.

Sea surface temperature records of core ZY2 from the central mud area in the South Yellow Sea during last 6200 years and related effect of the Yellow Sea Warm Current

“…Weakening of summer monsoon or intensification of winter monsoon may decrease the SST in the central SYS. Desiccation of the Taiwan Retreat Lake between 4.5 and 2.1 cal ka BP and reduction of its TOC content between 5.8 and 5.1 cal ka BP indicate summer monsoon weakening in these periods [34,35], which is consistent with the three low SST intervals (Figure 5b). Magnetic susceptibility and Ti content of the Lake Huguang Maar sediments suggest winter monsoon intensification in these three intervals [36].…”

Late Holocene forcing of the Asian winter and summer monsoon as evidenced by proxy records from the northern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

“…5). This weakening, which is widely indicated by lake level regression across China (Jin et al, 2005;Morrill et al, 2006;Herzschuh, 2006;Selvaraj et al, 2007), is generally interpreted as a response to decreasing summer insolation (Overpeck et al, 1996;Gupta et al, 2003).…”

“…It is assumed that variations in the sun's energy output play a major role in governing past climatic change (Haigh, 1996;Rind, 2002;Versteegh, 2005;Bard and Frank, 2006). Decadal-to centennial-scale variations in monsoonal precipitation, forced by solar activity, and their relation to North Atlantic climate have been described for lowlatitude regions affected by the Asian monsoon (Neff et al, 2001;Gupta et al, 2003;Fleitmann et al, 2003;Wang et al, 2005b;Gupta et al, 2005;Selvaraj et al, 2007). However, little information exists about decadal-to centennial-scale variations in Asian monsoonal circulation and the potential mid-latitude influence of the Northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.…”

“…Previous studies demonstrate a link between solar activity and Asian monsoon intensity (Fleitmann et al, 2003;Wang et al, 2005b;Selvaraj et al, 2007;Zhang et al, 2008). In order to test such a link on the Northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, we compared the detrended TOC (ΔTOC) record from Kusai Lake to residual atmospheric 14 C from tree ring records (Stuiver et al, 1998), a proxy for solar activity (Fig.…”

Geochemistry of Middle Holocene sediments from south Yellow Sea: Implications to provenance and climate change

“…The warmest and most humid stage around 5.0 ka may reflect the "Holocene optimum" from 8.5-3.0 cal. ka BP (Selvaraj et al, 2007;Stott et al, 2004;Haug et al, 2001).…”