Palaeoenvironmental changes from pollen record in deep sea core PC-1 from northern Okinawa Trough, East China Sea during the past 24 ka

A pollen record of core PC-1 from the northern Okinawa Trough, East China Sea (ECS), provides information on vegetation and climate changes since 24 cal. kaBP. A total of 103 samples were palynologically analyzed at 8 cm intervals with a time resolution of 230 a. Four pollen zones are recognized: zone I (812-715 cm, 24.2-21.1 cal. kaBP), zone II (715-451 cm, 21.1-15.2 cal. kaBP), zone III (451-251 cm, 15.2-10.8 cal. kaBP), zone IV (251-0 cm, 10.8-0.3 cal. kaBP), corresponding to Late MIS 3, Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), deglaciation and Holocene, respectively. The LGM is characterized by the dominance of herbs, mainly Artemisia, and high pollen influx, implying an open vegetation on the exposed continental shelf and a cool and dry climate. The deglaciation is a climate warming stage with Pinus percentage increased and Artemisia percentage decreased and a rapid sea-level rise. The Holocene is characterized by predominance of tree pollen with rapid increase in Castanea-Castanopsis indicating the development of mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest and a warm, humid climate. Low pollen influx during the Holocene probably implies submergence of the continental shelf and retreat of the pollen source area. The vegetation indicated by pollen assemblage found in this upper zone is consistent with the present vegetation found in Kyushu, Japan. Originating from the humid mountain area of North Luzon of the Philippines, Tasmania and New Zealand, Phyllocladus with sporadic occurrence throughout PC-1 core probably suggests the influence of Palaeo-Kuroshio Current or intense summer monsoon. The observed changes in Pinus and Herbs percentage indicate fluctuations of the sea level, and high Pinus percentage corresponds to high sea level. Spectrum analysis of the pollen percentage record reveals many millennial-scale periodicities, such as periodicities of 6.8, 3.85 2.2, 1.6 ka.

Cold event at 5 500 a BP recorded in mud sediments on the inner shelf of the East China Sea

A 700-year record (1.0-1.5 a resolution) of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM), based on grain-size analysis and AMS(14)C dating of Core EC2005 from the inner-shelf mud wedge of the East China Sea (ECS), was compared with the Dongge stalagmite delta O-18 record during the mid-Holocene. The upper muddy section of Core EC2005 has been formed mainly by suspended sediments derived from the Changjiang (Yangtze) River mouth since 7.3 ka BP. High precipitation and a strengthened EAWM might have played key roles in the high sedimentation rate (1 324-1 986 cm/ka) between 5.9-5.2 ka BP. The EAWM strengthened when the Asian summer monsoon weakened, especially around 5 500 a BP, which corresponded to a worldwide cold event. The EAWM during the mid-Holocene shows statistically significant solar periodicities at 62 and 11 a. The 5 500 a BP cold event might be resulted from orbital forcing and changes in solar activity.

The Shandong mud wedge and post-glacial sediment accumulation in the Yellow Sea

Two well-defined deltaic sequences in the Bohai Sea and in the South Yellow Sea represent post-glacial accumulation of Yellow River-derived sediments. Another prominent depocenter on this epicontinental shelf, a pronounced clinoform in the North Yellow Sea, wraps around the northeastern and southeastern end of the Shandong Peninsula, extending into the South Yellow Sea. This Shandong mud wedge is 20 to 40 m thick and contains an estimated 300 km(3) of sediment. Radiocarbon dating, shallow seismic profiles, and regional sea-level history suggest that the mud wedge formed when the rate of post-glacial sea-level rise slackened and the summer monsoon intensified, at about 11 ka. Geomorphic configuration and mineralogical data indicate that present-day sediment deposited on the Shandong mud wedge comes not only from the Yellow River but also from coastal erosion and local rivers. Basin-wide circulation in the North Yellow Sea may transport and redistribute fine sediments into and out of the mud wedge.

PALEOMONSOONS OF CHINA OVER THE LAST 130,000 YEARS - PALEOMONSOON RECORDS

The characteristics of the modern monsoon climate of China may be used as clues for recognizing the records of paleomonsoon climate. The present paper deals primarily with the various paleomonsoon records of the last 130,000 years in the southeast monsoon area. These records mainly come from the following three fields: (i) the historical, (ii) the geological, including loess-paleosol sequence, deserts, lakes, snowlines, timberlines, the phenomena of continental desertization and so on, and (iii) the biological, presented by vegetation a.d mammals. Among these records, the loess-paleosol sequence in the Loess Plateau reflects a climatic history characterized by alternation of two different climatic periods when the Asian winter monsoon and summer monsoon showed pronounced effects on environment, respectively.

PALEOMONSOONS OF CHINA OVER THE LAST 130,000 YEARS - PALEOMONSOON VARIATION

Based upon the effect of land-sea interaction on the paleomonsoon variation and the time series of climatic proxy-indicators, the historical Asian monsoon variation over the last 130,000 and 18,000 years has been reconstructed with an emphasis on the basic characteristics of summer monsoon circulation. The monsoon-climatic cycles and associated model of environmental development over the central and eastern China are proposed and the mechanism of paleomonsoon variation of China preliminarily discussed. The variation of East Asian monsoon circulation should be regarded as a regional result of both solar-radiation changes and the global glacial-interglacial cycles. The episodic uplifting of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau since the late Miocene has to a large extent controlled the forming and evolution of the paleomonsoon circulation of China.

Responses of summertime extreme wave heights to local climate variations in the East China Sea

We detected the responses of summertime extreme wave heights (H-top10, average of the highest 10% of significant wave heights in June, July and August) to local climate variations in the East China Sea by applying an empirical orthogonal function analysis to Htop10 derived from the WAVEWATCH- III wave model driven by 6 hourly sea surface wind fields from ERA-40 reanalysis over the period 1958-2002. Decreases in H-top10 in the northern East China Sea ( Yellow Sea) correspond to attenuation of the East Asian Summer Monsoon, while increases in the south are primarily due to enhancement of tropical cyclone activities in the western North Pacific.

Intraseasonal variability of Indian Ocean sea surface temperature during boreal winter: Madden-Julian Oscillation versus submonthly forcing and processes

[ 1] Intraseasonal variability of Indian Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) during boreal winter is investigated by analyzing available data and a suite of solutions to an ocean general circulation model for 1998 - 2004. This period covers the QuikSCAT and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observations. Impacts of the 30 - 90 day and 10 - 30 day atmospheric intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) are examined separately, with the former dominated by the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and the latter dominated by convectively coupled Rossby and Kelvin waves. The maximum variation of intraseasonal SST occurs at 10 degrees S - 2 degrees S in the wintertime Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), where the mixed layer is thin and intraseasonal wind speed reaches its maximum. The observed maximum warming ( cooling) averaged over ( 60 degrees E - 85 degrees E, 10 degrees S - 3 degrees S) is 1.13 degrees C ( - 0.97 degrees C) for the period of interest, with a standard deviation of 0.39 degrees C in winter. This SST change is forced predominantly by the MJO. While the MJO causes a basin-wide cooling ( warming) in the ITCZ region, submonthly ISOs cause a more complex SST structure that propagates southwestward in the western-central basin and southeastward in the eastern ocean. On both the MJO and submonthly timescales, winds are the deterministic factor for the SST variability. Short-wave radiation generally plays a secondary role, and effects of precipitation are negligible. The dominant role of winds results roughly equally from wind speed and stress forcing. Wind speed affects SST by altering turbulent heat fluxes and entrainment cooling. Wind stress affects SST via several local and remote oceanic processes.

海气热通量与东亚夏季风的关系

本文采用基于风切变的季风指数确定了多年季风爆发的时间；使用实测资料计算分析了2008年南海季风爆发前后海气通量的特征；基于COARE3.0算法，用NCEP2中海气要素再分析资料计算了海气热通量场并与NCEP2中原始热通量场进行了比较；利用EOF方法得到季风爆发早晚年份海气热通量场的时空特征；利用SVD方法分析了热通量场及海温场与季风的关系，初步探讨了海气热通量的变化影响季风爆发的过程和机理。结果表明： 1、2008年南海夏季风爆发期间热带气旋对海气要素的影响较大。动量交换系数与热量交换系数是风速的函数，曲线在风速为4m/s时有一个转折的过程。 2、海温的变化超前于季风爆发时间和强度的变化；热通量的变化超前于海温的变化。热通量通过海温这一中间过程对季风产生作用。 3、季风爆发时间和强度的变化受前期2至3个月时黑潮区域热通量变化的影响。此海域的热通量较大的时候，其后的季风爆发偏早、偏强；反之，季风爆发偏晚、偏弱。

西太平洋—印度洋—青藏高原气候系统在南海夏季风爆发过程中的作用

本文利用美国国家环境预测中心和国家大气研究中心(NCEP/NCAR—National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research)的位势高度、气温、风速等大气资料、欧洲中期天气预报中心 （ECMWF—European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts—ERA-40）的雪深资料、美国国家海洋大气管理局（NOAA—National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration）的海表温度（SST）资料、美国Scripps海洋研究所的上层海洋热含量资料等，采取相关分析、合成分析、经验正交函数分析、小波分析和小波交叉谱分析等统计分析方法，系统深入地讨论了西太平洋—印度洋—青藏高原气候系统在南海夏季风爆发过程中的作用。得到的主要结论如下： 1. 西太平洋和印度洋在南海夏季风爆发过程中起着关键作用 利用1951－1998年多种大气海洋资料，分析研究结果表明，西太平洋（暖池热含量）、印度洋（纬向风）在南海夏季风爆发中起关键的调控作用：以1970年为界，1970年之前，印度洋起主要作用，1970年之后西太平洋起主要作用，这主要是1970前后北极涛动有明显跃变的原因，这种跃变决定了印度洋在南海夏季风爆发中是否起决定作用（西风异常或东风异常），进而，决定了有利于或不利于南海夏季风的爆发。 1970年之前，北极涛动指数为负值，海陆温差（海上气温减大陆气温）是负值，大陆气温偏高，印度洋气温相对偏低，印度洋出现西风异常，有利于南海夏季风早爆发。在此期间，与印度洋SST密切相关的南印度洋偶极子的变化也与南海夏季风的爆发紧密相联。当南印度洋为正偶极子（西南印度洋SST为正异常，印度洋其他区域的SST为负异常）时，北印度洋为西风异常，南海夏季风爆发偏早；南印度洋为负偶极子（西南印度洋SST为负异常，印度洋其他地区的SST为正异常）时，北印度洋为东风异常，南海夏季风爆发偏晚。 1970年之后，北极涛动指数为正值，海陆气温差为正值，印度洋的状态不利于南海季风爆发；在这种情况下，西太平洋暖池的热含量则成为控制南海夏季风爆发的主要原因：暖池变暖的年份，即 La Niña 年，南海夏季风爆发早（强），反之，当暖池变冷的年份，即El Niño年，南海季风爆发晚（弱），即，南海夏季风爆发的早（强）晚（弱）与ENSO事件密切相关。 2.青藏高原春季积雪对南海夏季风爆发有重要的影响 1958-2003年青藏高原3月积雪厚度与南海夏季风爆发时间存在着很好的正相关。青藏高原3月积雪厚度偏厚时，其500毫巴以上的气温偏低，上层海陆之间的气温差是正值，南亚高压向西北方向的移动速度变慢，上层东风偏弱，西太平洋地区的上层辐散和下层辐合变弱，西太平洋暖池热含量偏少，南海夏季风爆发偏晚（弱）。同时，下层850毫巴东印度洋异常大气是东风和跨赤道反气旋对，南海被东风异常所控制，这种大气环流形势不利于南海夏季风的爆发；青藏高原3月积雪厚度偏薄时，其500毫巴以上的气温偏高，上层海陆之间的气温差是负值，上层南亚高压在南亚地区建立较早，上层东风偏强，西太平洋地区的上层辐散和下层辐合偏强，西太平洋暖池热含量偏多，南海夏季风爆发偏早（强）。同时，下层850毫巴东印度洋低层大气是西风异常和跨赤道气旋对，南海被西南风异常所控制，有利于南海夏季风的爆发。 研究结果还表明，青藏高原春季的积雪与厄尔尼诺事件存在着密切的关系。在厄尔尼诺鼎盛期的冬季，各种条件都有利于青藏高原的降雪，从而，来年春天的积雪则变厚，不利于南海季风的爆发。 3. 南海夏季风爆发的预测 1970年之后，西太平洋暖池的热含量与南海夏季风的爆发早晚有非常好的负相关。据此，我们可以通过西太平洋暖池热含量的变化来预测南海夏季风的爆发。通过暖池区海洋上层400米热含量的分析研究，我们找到了西太平洋暖池热含量变化的代表站点（以3N，138E为中心的1°×1°范围），其热含量变化能很好代表整个西太平洋暖池热含量的变化（相关系数大于0.85）。在此基础上，文章用1993-2007年热带大气海洋浮标列阵（TAO-Tropical Atmosphere Ocean-array）中最靠近该站点的浮标（2N, 137E）资料验证了上述选择站点的代表性和相应的预测能力。1993-2004年TAO浮标（2N, 137E）3月上层400米和500米海洋热含量与南海夏季风爆发时间的相关系数分别是-0.75，-0.73，置信度均超过99%；用1993-2007年4月份TAO浮标（2N, 137E）上层400米和500米海洋热含量与南海夏季风爆发时间作相关则相关系数均为-0.83，置信度超过99%。因此，我们可以通过3月或者4月份该TAO浮标（2N, 137E）的热含量来预测当年南海夏季风爆发的早（强）晚（弱）。 总之，南海夏季风爆发以1970年为界存在明显的年代际变化，1970年之前，主要受印度洋控制，1970年之后，南海夏季风爆发主要受控于太平洋（西太平洋暖池），这种变化是由北极涛动年代际变化引起的，。青藏高原春季积雪也对南海夏季风有重要影响，但主要受ENSO控制。因此，我们认为西太平洋—印度洋—青藏高原气候系统在南海夏季风爆发中起着重要的调控作用：西太平洋的作用当属第一位，印度洋的作用居第二，青藏高原的作用最弱。

三门峡宋家店黄土－古土壤序列的地层学研究及其古环境记录

The Sanmen Gorge area is located in the southernmost margin of the Chinese Loess Plateau with well developed eolian deposit sequence for the past 2.6 Ma, providing a key site for further understanding of the evolution history of the East Asian monsoon since late Pliocene. This study attempted to characterize the stratigraphy and paleoclimate record of the loess-paleosol sequence in the Songjiadian section. The work involved includes systematic field investigation, paleomagnetic and rock magnetic analyses, grain size and major chemical composition analyses, and multiple proxy measurements of magnetic susceptibility, color reflectance and the ratio of CBD-dissolvable iron to the total iron (FeD/FeT). By comparisons of the Songjiadian section with well studied loess sections in the west of the Sanmen Gorge, the spatial variations of the East Asian monsoon was evaluated for some periods during which typical loess or paleosols developed. The following conclusions have been obtained. 1. Stratigraphic correlation and paleomagnetic result demonstrate that the loess-paleosol sequence in the Songjiadian section was accumulated from 2.6Ma, and is generally a complete and continuous loess sequence. However, notable differences from type loess sections have been identified for a few loess and paleosol units, featured by absence or anomalous thickness in the Songjiadian section. 2. Magnetic susceptibility and chromaticity records clearly reveal the loess-paleosol cycles, and indicate that the Sanmen Gorge area has been warmer and more humid than the Lingtai and Jingchuan sections in the western central Loess Plateau since the Early Pleistocene. 3. Grain size distribution patterns are typical of eolian dust, and show a great similarity between various units of loess and paleosols, and between the S32 and the underlying Red Clay through the Songjiadian profile, suggesting the eolian origin for the loess, paleosols and the Red Clay. 4. Comparison of the FeD/FeT curves from different loess sections indicates a stronger chemical weathering in the Songjiadian section and notable enhancement around 1800, 800 and 600 ka BP, implying the strengthening of the East Asian monsoon during these periods. In contrast, it was weakened at 1100 ka BP. Generally, the summer monsoon shows a gradually decreasing trend during the entire Pleostocene, but the spatial pattern typified by an increasing trend in weathering intensity from north to south remained the same. 5. The loess unit L9 in the Songjiadian section displays two geomagnetic field anomalies with the midpoint ages of 0.917 and 0.875 Ma respectively, with a segment of 12 ka. They are demonstrated to be equivalent to the Santa Rosa and Kamikatsura geomagnetic excursions. 6. Magnetite is the main magnetic carrier for both loess and paleosols. Maghemite concentration is higher in paleosols than in loess, and is an important carrier for the enhanced magnetic susceptibility in paleosols. Magnetic fabric analysis suggests a dominant N-S wind direction prevailing in the L9 and L15, while the summer winds were dominantly in NNE-SSW direction during the S8 period, notably differing from previous studies.

黄土高原中部60万年来黄土—古土壤序列有机碳同位素研究

Vegetation is very sensitive to climate change. Carbon isotopes in paleosol have been widely used to contruct the propotion of plants using C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways. δ13C of Loess organic matter were analyzed on the loess- paleosols samples from Jingchuan sections and Luochuan S4—S5 sequence. This paper presents a long carbon isotope time series, covering the last 600kyr. δ13C record of Loess organic matter in Jingchuan is correlated with marine oxygen isotope records. Basing on former research work, this paper discusses temperature, rainfall and P CO2 effect on δ13Corg value. In the interglacial periods, carbon isotope is more sensitive than other proxies and indicates several climate fluctuations. The main conclusions are as follows: 1. Obtained δ13C composition from paleosols and loess sediments in Jingchuan range of -20.0‰ to -24.6‰, the maximum biomass of C4 is 35%, indicating a C3 and C4 mixed steppe with C3 dominated. C4 plant is not always expansion during paleosols periods. The minimum values of Jingchuan section appeared in S4 soil, and the vegetation was almost pure C3 plant at that time. δ13Corg value in S5-2 is also lower than loess in S5, reaching the minimum valus of S5 soil. 2. PCO2 variation has little impact on δ13Corg value in interglacial periods for the last 600kyr. The correlation between δ13Corg value curve and magnetic susceptibility curve as proxy of summer monsoon in general, means summer monsoon drive C4 plant expansion during glacial and interglacial. 3. The lowerδ13Corg values in S4 and S5-2 appear at Jingchuan and Luochuan, suggest origin from woodland or C3 grassland. Whatever vegetation it is, indicate strengthened East Asian summer monsoon and increase of precipitation. C4 plant percentage is lower in S5-1 and S1 which have stronger summer monsoon, than S0 and S2. And it also indicates increase of precipitation.δ13Corg values has not always non-linearity correlation with summer monsoon. 4. The maximum entroy spectral analysis of δ13C values of the last 600kyr indicates there is 21 kyr cycles in Loess sequence. It means that summer monsoon in the Chinese Loess Plateau also has the precession cycles like its origin low latitude.

最近130ka来黄土物质化学风化强度的空间格局

Chemical weathering intensity of loess deposits is largely determined by three factors: chemical weathering in source regions, grain size and post-depositional weathering. The third factor is influenced by climatic conditions such as precipitation and temperature, and the dust sedimentation rate in the area of deposition. Previous studies have shown that the (CaO+MgO+Na2O)/TiO2 ratio of decarbonated residue from loess is independent of grain size changes and thus is a reliable proxy for chemical weathering. However, the validity of (CaO+MgO+Na2O)/TiO2 to describe changes in monsoon intensity requires further study. In this study, 48 sections over the last glacial-interglacial cycle on the Chinese Loess Plateau were sampled, and the major elemental concentrations of 248 decarbonated residue samples were measured to investigate the utility of the (CaO+MgO+Na2O)/TiO2 ratio as a proxy for changes in monsoon intensity. Results show that the (CaO+MgO+Na2O)/TiO2 ratio, is relatively more sensitive to climate change than other indexes independent of grain size, and is not affected substantially by sedimentation rate. Assuming the weathering regime is relatively stable in the loess source regions, the (CaO+MgO+Na2O)/TiO2 ratio is a reliable proxy for the intensity of summer monsoon. A decreasing (CaO+MgO+Na2O)/TiO2 ratio from northwest to southeast both in loess and paleosols indicates that the Chinese Loess Plateau is in the control of the East Asian summer monsoon during both interglacial and glacial times. In addition, the spatial distributions of (CaO+MgO+Na2O)/TiO2 ratios show a greater north-south gradient during interglacial periods than during glacial periods. This may suggest that the spatial precipitation gradient, controlled by the summer monsoon, is steeper during interglacials than in glacials.

中国西部大气和雪冰黑碳及其传输过程研究

Glaciers in west China are the sources of the major great rivers in Asia, and the solid water resources are crucial to China and South Asia. Black carbon (BC) results in very complex climate effects not only in the atmosphere, but accelerates the melting after its deposit on the surface of snow/ice. As the main distributed area of glaciers in China, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Xinjiang region are abutted by South Asia, Central Asia, and Russia, and east China, and the atmospheric environment would be influenced by the BC emitted from these regions. Whereas, the BC’s temporal and spatial distributions for concentration in the mid and top troposphere in west China, its transport, and its radiative forcing after deposited on the snow/ice surface are not well understood at the present. In the field, we collected samples from surface snow, snow pits, ice core, and aerosol in the glaciers, analyzed BC content mainly by the thermo-oxidized method in the laboratory, and discussed temporal and spatial distributions for BC concentrations in glaciers, the transport, and its impacts on the environment. Several conclusions were derived as follows: 1_Spatial distribution and the impact on albedos for BC concentrations in snow/ice: the BC concentrations in the surface snow for the investigated glaciers could be placed in areas, the Tianshan Mountains ＞ the central TP ＞ the Pamirs ＞ the Qilian Mountians ＞ the Himalayas. This distribution could be attributed to the elevation of the glaciers, the topography of the TP, and more regional emissions. Probably significant impacts on the albedos of the glacier surface could be caused by BC deposits, and the estimated reduced albedos on the glaciers are 9.8% (the Zhadang glacier), 8.7% (the Miao’ergou Riverhead No.3 glacier), and 6.8% (the Kuitun River Haxilegen No.48 glacier), and 6.2% (the Dongkemadi glacier), and 5.3% (the La’nong glacier), and 4.2% (the Muztagata glacier), etc. 2_The temporal variance of BC concentrations in ice of the East Rongbuk Glacier (ERG) and its climatic implications: major cations and anions (e.g., SO42- and Ca2+) concentrations in aerosols during summer monsoon seasons showed their close relationships with the sources of air masses, in which the variance of SO42- concentrations suggested the atmospheric environment over the ERG was significantly influenced by the aerosols from South Asia. BC record based on an ice core suggested its deposit was dominantly transported by monsoons in summers and by westerlies in other seasons, and the BC from South Asia in summers dominated the varying trend of its concentrations in the ice core and caused higher concentrations in summers than those in other seasons. In the past 50 yrs, BC concentrations showed fluctuations, whereas showed an increasing tread in the most recent decade, and exceeded 50 μg kg-1 in the summer of 2001; correspondingly, the radiative forcing caused by BC showed an increasing trend since 1990s, and exceeded 4.5 W m-2 in the summer of 2001. 3_Cabonaceous aerosols in the Nam Co region: organic carbon (OC) concentration accounted for ～95% and BC for ～5% in the total carbonaceous aerosol concentration, which was significantly influenced by summer precipitations. OC was dominantly derived from fossil fuel burning and BC from both fossil fuel and biomass burning. Trajectory analysis and aerosol optical depth suggested the atmospheric environment in the Nam Co region was most probably influenced by the emissions from South Asia. The potential source regions of air pollutants in the Nam Co regions in summers might be Bangladesh and east India, and in winters might be the Indo-gangetic basin. The scavenging ratio of atmospheric BC by rainfalls was less than those at other sites. West China is a less-developed region for industry, where BC concentrations in the atmosphere and snow/ice could be significantly influenced by the emissions from the abutted regions with rising industries (South Asia, Central Asia, and Russia). For example, snow/ice BC concentrations in the glaciers of the Parmirs, the Tianshan Mountains, and the Qilian Mountains in the northeast margin of the TP might be more influenced by the emissions from Centrial Asia (transported by the westerlies), those in the glaciers of the Himalayas might be more influenced by the emissions from South Asia (transported by the monsoons and the westerlies), and atmospheric carbonaceous aerosols might also be more influenced by the emissions from South Asia (transported by the monsoons and the westerlies). The BC concentrations in some glaciers might cause significant impacts on the albedos for the glaciers, and therefore enhanced the radiative forcings, for example, the ERG. The research on the relationships among atmospheric and snow/ice BC and its radiative forcing, variance of snow cover, mass balance of glaciers, and climate forcing would be needed in future.

甘肃西峰黄土剖面500 ka以来的蜗牛化石记录及其古气候、古环境变化研究

The loess-paleosol sequences in China are among the best continental records of paleoclimate changes. Although numerous sedimentological and geochemical studies have contributed greatly to the understanding of past climate changes during this period, it is still necessary to decipher more details through investigating these sequences using various approaches including biological analyses. In this study, we analyze the mollusk fossil assemblages preserved in the upper part of the Xifeng section, from the fifth loess layer (L5) to the Holocene soil (S0), with the sampling interval of 10 cm. The main results and conclusions obtained are as follows: 1. A continuous terrestrial mollusk fossil record, covering the past 500 ka, has been obtained from the Xifeng loess-paleosol sequence, which provides important biological data for the study of paleoenvironmental changes in the Loess Plateau and its comparison with marine record during this period. A total of 475 mollusk assemblages were studied, and twenty-one species have been identified among the 210,000 mollusk individuals counted. Among these species, most have modern representatives and are found in previous terrestrial mollusk studies of Chinese loess-paleosol sequences. Thus, they can be grouped into cold-aridiphilous, thermo-humidiphilous, oriental, and cool-humidiphilous ecological groups, as defined by previous studies. 2. Comparison of mollusk assemblages between the last five glacials and four interglacials and Holocene shows very different climate conditions. The warmest period occurred at MIS 11, MIS 5e, and Holocene, respectively. The coldest period is the Last Glacial Maximam, rather than the MIS 12. 3. Our mollusk record provides insight into the climate conditions in the Loess Plateau during the MIS 11, interpreted as the closest analog to the present interglacial. S4 paleosol, equivalent of MIS 11, developed under two major different climate regimes: ranging from the very warm–humid early phase to the mild-cool late interval. Furthermore, a cooling spell has been documented at the interglacial optimum, reflecting unstable climate conditions. The early warm–humid conditions lasted over 30 ka, supporting that MIS 11 is a unique long interglacial in the Quaternary climate history. 4. Comparison of MIS 11 and Holocene climates based on the mollusk species compositions indicates major differences. The climate at the early part of MIS 11 was warmer and more humid than during the Holocene optimum period, but the conditions during the late part of MIS 11 were similar to or cooler than late Holocene. Our study indicates that the extent of warming during the Holocene might be significantly less than the conditions that prevailed during the early part of MIS 11 interglacial period. 5. Two strong summer monsoon events were observed during the MIS 12 and MIS 10. They correspond to the maximam values of insolation gradient between low and high latitudes, suggesting a causal linkage. 6. Our study, combined with the previously investigated Luochuan land snail record, reveals that the climate in the Loess Plateau during MIS 3 experienced three stages: relatively warm, humid climate prevailed during MIS 3c, relatively cold, dry climate during MIS 3b, and relatively warm-humid period during MIS 3a. Climate at this time fluctuated frequently in Luochuan, and changed from warm-cool to cold-dry in Xifeng. Our results reveal that the relatively warm-humid climate during MIS 3c may be resulted from an increasing insolation gradient controlled by obliquity. Our result also reveals that obvious regional difference existed in the Loess Plateau during MIS 3. A greater climate gradient occurred during this time compared with today’s climate pattern in the Loess Plateau.