Chemical weathering evidence for East Asian Summer Monsoon rainfall variability in the upper reaches of the Yellow River since the Early Pleistocene

The East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) is critically important for determining the spatial variability of precipitation in the continental interior of East Asia. Hence, knowledge of past EASM variability may help predict the response of monsoon rainfall to ongoing global climate change, with important...

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Published in:Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology Vol. 618; p. 111523
Main Authors: Li, Baofeng, Feng, Qi, Wang, Fei, Li, Zaijun, Wang, Xin, Li, Ruolin, Chen, Weiyu
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier B.V 15.05.2023
Subjects:
atmospheric circulation
basins
Chemical weathering
climate change
East Asia
East Asian Summer Monsoon
human population
monsoon season
Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean atmospheric circulation
palaeogeography
paleoclimatology
paleoecology
phase transition
Pleistocene epoch
prediction
rain
Upper reaches of the Yellow River
Yellow River
East Asia
Pacific Ocean
Yellow River
Upper reaches of the Yellow River
East Asian Summer Monsoon
Pacific Ocean atmospheric circulation
Chemical weathering
ISSN:0031-0182, 1872-616X
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) is critically important for determining the spatial variability of precipitation in the continental interior of East Asia. Hence, knowledge of past EASM variability may help predict the response of monsoon rainfall to ongoing global climate change, with important implications for the living environment of the large human population of East Asia. In this study, we obtained several geochemical records from the Hetao Basin in the upper reaches of the Yellow River (UYR), which we use to reconstruct variations in chemical weathering intensity since 1.68 Ma. Our results suggest that chemical weathering was significantly intensified during the interval of ∼0.47–0.18 Ma, evidenced by lower Rb/Sr and αAlSr values, and higher LEF Mg/Al values, within the lacustrine sediments during this period. This enhanced chemical weathering was closely linked to increased monsoon rainfall associated with a strong EASM. The long-term trends of EASM rainfall in the UYR were caused by variations in the atmospheric circulation over the Pacific Ocean, such as the ENSO cycle and the PDO phase transition, which may act as testable factors in the prediction of future EASM rainfall. •Long-term monsoon rainfall variation was evidenced by chemical weathering index.•Interglacial East Asian Summer Monsoon was strong from ∼0.47 to ∼0.18 Ma.•Pacific SST gradients play crucial roles in monsoon rainfall patterns in East Asia.
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ISSN:0031-0182
1872-616X
DOI:10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111523