The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, c. 26-16 ka) and the Holocene Optimum (HO, c. 9-5 ka) were characterized by cold-dry and warm-wet climates respectively in the recently geological Earth. How Chinese deserts and sand fie...The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, c. 26-16 ka) and the Holocene Optimum (HO, c. 9-5 ka) were characterized by cold-dry and warm-wet climates respectively in the recently geological Earth. How Chinese deserts and sand fields responded to these distinctive climatic changes is still not clear, however. To reconstruct environments of the deserts and sand fields during the LGM and HO is helpful to understand the forcing mechanisms of environment change in this arid region, and to test paleoclimatic modeling results. Through our long-term field and laboratory investigations, 400 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages and more than 100 depositional records in the Chinese deserts and sand fields were obtained; on the basis of these data, we reconstruct spatial distributions of the deserts and sand fields during the LGM and HO. Our results show that the sand fields of Mu Us, Hunshandake, Horqin and Hulun Buir in northern and northeastern China had expanded 25%, 37%, 38% and 270%, respectively, during the LGM; the sand fields of Gonghe in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau had expanded 20%, and the deserts of Badain Jaran, Tengger in central northern China had expanded 39% and 29% separately during the LGM; the deserts of Taklimakan, Gurbantünggüt and Kumtag in northwestern China had expanded 10%-20% respectively, compared to their modern areas. On the other hand, all of the sand fields were nearly completely covered by vegetation during the HO; the deserts in northwestern and central northern China were reduced by around 5%-20% in area during this time. Lakes in this arid region were probably expanded during the HO but this conclusion needs more investigation. Compared with the geological distributions of deserts and sand fields, human activity has clearly changed (expanded) the area of active sand dunes at the present time. Our observations show that environmental conditions of Chinese deserts and sand fields are controlled by regional climate together with human activity.展开更多
Chinese loess deposits are some of the best continental records of palaeoclimatic and pa- laeoenvironmental changes in the late Cenozoic. Many investigations have shown that the long-time climate variations recorded b...Chinese loess deposits are some of the best continental records of palaeoclimatic and pa- laeoenvironmental changes in the late Cenozoic. Many investigations have shown that the long-time climate variations recorded by the loess-paleosol sequences can be correlated with global environ- mental changes. However,there are still some foundational questions concerning loess deposition that are not well answered,casting uncertainty on many previous conclusions,especially high-resolu- tion palaeoclimatic records. In this study,three typical loess-paleosol sections spanning the last glacial cy- cle were closely sampled for optically stimulated lu- minescence (OSL) dating and palaeoclimate inter- pretation along a northwest-southeast transect in Chinese Loess Plateau. Results show that there is a 4-5 ka hiatus in the typical loess deposits,and as a consequence suggests that the loess record is not continuous over millennial time scales. As such,pre- vious conclusions on climatic and environmental changes at millennial-centennial time scale,recon- structed through the loess record,should be reinves- tigated. The erosional hiatus may be forced by a pe- riod with strengthened East Asian winter monsoon and the less vegetation cover in the investigated sites.展开更多
Paleo-dune deposits have been widely used as a proxy indicator of past dune ac- tivity, which is further used to reconstruct paleoclimates. However, recent studies have criti- cally examined the reproducibility of dun...Paleo-dune deposits have been widely used as a proxy indicator of past dune ac- tivity, which is further used to reconstruct paleoclimates. However, recent studies have criti- cally examined the reproducibility of dune chronologies and the complexity of paleo-dune deposits as paleoenvironmental records. This paper addresses questions on the paleoenvi- ronmental implications of dune chronostratigraphies that have been raised by those reviews, in the specific case of crescentic dunes, using a case study from the Mu Us dune field, north-central China. The processes of turn-over and stabilization of relatively small crescentic dunes are first investigated by observational evidence. In combination with the analysis of a simplified sand preservation model and stratigraphic records, the effect of dune morphody- namics on sand preservation is demonstrated. It is especially evident that thick, nearly in- stantaneously deposited sand units record dune stabilization near the very end of a dune activity episode, while thin sand units may signal the preservation of sand deposited earlier in episodes of activity. Interpreting the distribution of luminescence ages that indicate sand deposition over time is not as simple as assumed in some previous work. Low frequency of sand ages could indicate an interval of either dune field stabilization or extensive dune activity but poor sand preservation. A peak of sand age frequency likely represents a shift in dune field activity towards stabilization, not a peak of active dune extent, especially if it partially overlaps with an independently identified interval of stabilization （e.g. one recorded by pa- leosols）. The nature and magnitude of these biases in the distribution of sand ages over time are strongly affected by the magnitude of net sand accumulation, which is in turn related to sand supply, transport capacity and sand availability, and ultimately climate change. Rela- tively short dune stabilization and turn-over time （101 to 102 yrs） indicate that dune geomor- phic processes can quickly respond to short-term disturbance, but the chronology of that response must be interpreted in light of how those processes influence age distributions.展开更多
We present the first quantitative estimation of monsoon precipitation during the late glaciaI-Holocene in the sandy land of northern China, based on organic carbon isotopic composition data from a loess-sand sequence ...We present the first quantitative estimation of monsoon precipitation during the late glaciaI-Holocene in the sandy land of northern China, based on organic carbon isotopic composition data from a loess-sand sequence at margin of the Mu Us sandy land. We use the relationship between monsoon precipitation and the carbon isotopic composition of modern soils as an analogue, with a minor modification, to reconstruct precipitation back to c. 47 ka ago. The preliminary results indicate that annual monsoon precipitation was high after 8 ka, with an average of 435 mm; and it decreased during 18 and 8 ka with a mean value of 194 mm. The precipitation value of 47-18 ka varied between the two. We compare the recon- structed precipitation with other records and paleoclimatic modeling results, showing that our record agrees with reconstructions of the monsoon precipitation from other sources, even capturing short climatic events such as the Younger Dryas. We suggest that solar irradiance, high-latitude temperature/ice volume and local evaporation have together modified moistures in the sandy land.展开更多
There has been a significant debate about the nature and causes of the Pleistocene evolution of the Nihewan Basin, North China. We studied the eastern Nihewan Basin sedimentary facies at two main sites, Hutouliang and...There has been a significant debate about the nature and causes of the Pleistocene evolution of the Nihewan Basin, North China. We studied the eastern Nihewan Basin sedimentary facies at two main sites, Hutouliang and Donggou. A combination of field observations and measurements of sediment grain-size distribution was used to reconstruct the sequence of sedimentary environments since the middle Pleistocene, and optically-stimulated luminescence measurements were used to date the sediments. Our results indicate that a shallow lake occupied the basin center along the Sanggan River, probably lasting until -440 kyr ago before disappearing completely -340 kyr ago. It was succeeded by a phase of fluvial-dominated sediment accumulation which ended -30 kyr ago. We suggest that the formation of the gorge resulted from the relative uplift of the Niuxin Mountain along the Liulengshan fault -140 kyr ago. However, since -30 kyr ago the fault may have become inactive and the river downcutting near Shixia was no longer offset by the relative uplift, which caused a shift from deposition to denudation in the Nihewan Basin from then on. The disappearance of the paleolake -340 kyr ago may have been the culmination of the ongoing process of basin infilling.展开更多
基金国家自然科学基金项目“National Natural Science Foundation of China”(41472026)中国科学院战略性先导科技专项“关键地史时期生物与环境演变过程及其机制Macroevolutionary Processes and Paleoenvironments of Major Historical Biota”(XDPB05)的联合资助
基金supported by the Global Changes Program of Ministry of Science and Technology of China(2010CB950203)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA05120704)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(40930103 and 41021002)China National Science and Technology Basic Work Program(2006FY110800 and 2012FY111700)
文摘The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, c. 26-16 ka) and the Holocene Optimum (HO, c. 9-5 ka) were characterized by cold-dry and warm-wet climates respectively in the recently geological Earth. How Chinese deserts and sand fields responded to these distinctive climatic changes is still not clear, however. To reconstruct environments of the deserts and sand fields during the LGM and HO is helpful to understand the forcing mechanisms of environment change in this arid region, and to test paleoclimatic modeling results. Through our long-term field and laboratory investigations, 400 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages and more than 100 depositional records in the Chinese deserts and sand fields were obtained; on the basis of these data, we reconstruct spatial distributions of the deserts and sand fields during the LGM and HO. Our results show that the sand fields of Mu Us, Hunshandake, Horqin and Hulun Buir in northern and northeastern China had expanded 25%, 37%, 38% and 270%, respectively, during the LGM; the sand fields of Gonghe in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau had expanded 20%, and the deserts of Badain Jaran, Tengger in central northern China had expanded 39% and 29% separately during the LGM; the deserts of Taklimakan, Gurbantünggüt and Kumtag in northwestern China had expanded 10%-20% respectively, compared to their modern areas. On the other hand, all of the sand fields were nearly completely covered by vegetation during the HO; the deserts in northwestern and central northern China were reduced by around 5%-20% in area during this time. Lakes in this arid region were probably expanded during the HO but this conclusion needs more investigation. Compared with the geological distributions of deserts and sand fields, human activity has clearly changed (expanded) the area of active sand dunes at the present time. Our observations show that environmental conditions of Chinese deserts and sand fields are controlled by regional climate together with human activity.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant Nos.40325007, 40121303） NBRPC （Grant No.2004CB720506） and the Royal Society.
文摘Chinese loess deposits are some of the best continental records of palaeoclimatic and pa- laeoenvironmental changes in the late Cenozoic. Many investigations have shown that the long-time climate variations recorded by the loess-paleosol sequences can be correlated with global environ- mental changes. However,there are still some foundational questions concerning loess deposition that are not well answered,casting uncertainty on many previous conclusions,especially high-resolu- tion palaeoclimatic records. In this study,three typical loess-paleosol sections spanning the last glacial cy- cle were closely sampled for optically stimulated lu- minescence (OSL) dating and palaeoclimate inter- pretation along a northwest-southeast transect in Chinese Loess Plateau. Results show that there is a 4-5 ka hiatus in the typical loess deposits,and as a consequence suggests that the loess record is not continuous over millennial time scales. As such,pre- vious conclusions on climatic and environmental changes at millennial-centennial time scale,recon- structed through the loess record,should be reinves- tigated. The erosional hiatus may be forced by a pe- riod with strengthened East Asian winter monsoon and the less vegetation cover in the investigated sites.
基金Foundation： National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41501208 The Global Change Program of Ministry of Science and Technology of China, No.2016YFA0600503 The U.S. National Science Foundation, No.ATM-0502489
文摘Paleo-dune deposits have been widely used as a proxy indicator of past dune ac- tivity, which is further used to reconstruct paleoclimates. However, recent studies have criti- cally examined the reproducibility of dune chronologies and the complexity of paleo-dune deposits as paleoenvironmental records. This paper addresses questions on the paleoenvi- ronmental implications of dune chronostratigraphies that have been raised by those reviews, in the specific case of crescentic dunes, using a case study from the Mu Us dune field, north-central China. The processes of turn-over and stabilization of relatively small crescentic dunes are first investigated by observational evidence. In combination with the analysis of a simplified sand preservation model and stratigraphic records, the effect of dune morphody- namics on sand preservation is demonstrated. It is especially evident that thick, nearly in- stantaneously deposited sand units record dune stabilization near the very end of a dune activity episode, while thin sand units may signal the preservation of sand deposited earlier in episodes of activity. Interpreting the distribution of luminescence ages that indicate sand deposition over time is not as simple as assumed in some previous work. Low frequency of sand ages could indicate an interval of either dune field stabilization or extensive dune activity but poor sand preservation. A peak of sand age frequency likely represents a shift in dune field activity towards stabilization, not a peak of active dune extent, especially if it partially overlaps with an independently identified interval of stabilization （e.g. one recorded by pa- leosols）. The nature and magnitude of these biases in the distribution of sand ages over time are strongly affected by the magnitude of net sand accumulation, which is in turn related to sand supply, transport capacity and sand availability, and ultimately climate change. Rela- tively short dune stabilization and turn-over time （101 to 102 yrs） indicate that dune geomor- phic processes can quickly respond to short-term disturbance, but the chronology of that response must be interpreted in light of how those processes influence age distributions.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41321062 No.41371203+1 种基金 The Global Changes Program of China, 2010CB950203 The Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institu tions, The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, No. 1082020904
文摘We present the first quantitative estimation of monsoon precipitation during the late glaciaI-Holocene in the sandy land of northern China, based on organic carbon isotopic composition data from a loess-sand sequence at margin of the Mu Us sandy land. We use the relationship between monsoon precipitation and the carbon isotopic composition of modern soils as an analogue, with a minor modification, to reconstruct precipitation back to c. 47 ka ago. The preliminary results indicate that annual monsoon precipitation was high after 8 ka, with an average of 435 mm; and it decreased during 18 and 8 ka with a mean value of 194 mm. The precipitation value of 47-18 ka varied between the two. We compare the recon- structed precipitation with other records and paleoclimatic modeling results, showing that our record agrees with reconstructions of the monsoon precipitation from other sources, even capturing short climatic events such as the Younger Dryas. We suggest that solar irradiance, high-latitude temperature/ice volume and local evaporation have together modified moistures in the sandy land.
基金supported by the Chinese Geological Survey(Grant No.12120113005600)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41472138&41371203)
文摘There has been a significant debate about the nature and causes of the Pleistocene evolution of the Nihewan Basin, North China. We studied the eastern Nihewan Basin sedimentary facies at two main sites, Hutouliang and Donggou. A combination of field observations and measurements of sediment grain-size distribution was used to reconstruct the sequence of sedimentary environments since the middle Pleistocene, and optically-stimulated luminescence measurements were used to date the sediments. Our results indicate that a shallow lake occupied the basin center along the Sanggan River, probably lasting until -440 kyr ago before disappearing completely -340 kyr ago. It was succeeded by a phase of fluvial-dominated sediment accumulation which ended -30 kyr ago. We suggest that the formation of the gorge resulted from the relative uplift of the Niuxin Mountain along the Liulengshan fault -140 kyr ago. However, since -30 kyr ago the fault may have become inactive and the river downcutting near Shixia was no longer offset by the relative uplift, which caused a shift from deposition to denudation in the Nihewan Basin from then on. The disappearance of the paleolake -340 kyr ago may have been the culmination of the ongoing process of basin infilling.
