A Holocene paleotemperature record based on radiolaria from the northern Okinawa Trough (East China Sea)

Using a radiolarian-based transfer function, mean annual sea surface temperature (SST) and seasonal temperature range are reconstructed through the last 10,500yrs in the northern Okinawa Trough. Down-core SST estimates reveal that throughout the Holocene the changes of mean annual SST display a three-step trend: (i) an early Holocene continuous warming between 10,500 and 8500yr BP which ends up with a abrupt cooling at about 8200yr BP; (ii) a relatively stable middle Holocene with high SST that lasted until 3200yr BP; and (iii) a late-Holocene distinct SST decline between 3200 and 500yr BP. This pattern is in agreement with the ice core and terrestrial paleoclimatic records in the Chinese continent and other regions of the world. Five cooling events with abrupt mean annual SST drops, which occur at similar to 300-600, 1400, 3100, 4600-5100 and 8200yr BP, are recognized during the last 10,500yrs. Comparison of our results with records of GISP2 ice core and marine sediment in North Atlantic region suggests these cooling events are strongly coupled, which implies a possible significant climatic correlation between high- and low-latitude areas. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.

Records of the East Asian winter monsoon from the mud area on the inner shelf of the East China Sea since the mid-Holocene

AMS(14)C dating and analysis of grain size, major elements and clay minerals were applied to Core MZ01 from the mud area on the inner shelf of the East China Sea. Based on the environmentally sensitive grain size, clay mineral and major element assemblages, the history of the East Asia winter monsoon since the mid-Holocene could be reconstructed. These three proxies, mean grain size (>9.71 mu m), chemical index of alteration (CIA) and ratio of smectite to kaolinite in particular, show similar fluctuation patterns. Furthermore, 10 extreme values corresponding to the contemporary cooling events could be recognized since the mid-Holocene; these extreme values are likely to have been caused by the strengthening of the East Asia winter monsoon. The cooling events correlated well with the results of the delta O-18 curves of the Dunde ice core and GISP2, which therefore revealed a regional response to global climate change. Four stages of the East Asia winter monsoon were identified, i.e. 8300-6300 a BP, strong and unstable; 6300-3800 a BP, strong but stable; 3800-1400 a BP, weak and unstable; after 1400 a BP, weak but stable.

大洋有孔虫微量元素研究

The most novel aspect of this thesis is the combination analysis of the boron isotopes and trace elements. What’s more, it also provides a reliable analytical technique, which is suitable for both boron isotopes and trace elements. Al/Ca values can be used to monitor the clay removal during the sample preparation. It is found that when Al/Ca>100 mol/mol, the measured boron isotopic compositions are always several permil lower than those properly cleaned. B/Ca ratios can be used to calculate the exact boron loaded for each sample. Otherwise, too much loading will lead to too long time for the whole analytical sequence, and too less loading might incur serious blank problem. One other benefit besides those discussed above is that the combination analysis of boron isotopes and trace elements on the same sample allows reconstruction of the marine carbonate system and atmospheric pCO2 without assumption of the other parameter. In the marine carbonate system, with the seawater pH from the foraminiferal 11B, one has to make an assumption on the other variable to obtain the rest four variables. A series studies found that U/Ca and B/Ca are potential proxies for seawater [CO32-]and [HCO3-], respectively. Since they are measured on the same sample with boron isotopes, hence, there is no spatial or temporal ambiguity in the incorporation of the two controlling parameters. With 11B and U/Ca, the reconstructed atmospheric pCO2 variations match the atmospheric pCO2 record from the Vostok ice core within ±20 ppm. The incorporations of U and B into foraminiferal carbonates are controlled by the overall growth rate of individual foraminifers and other possible factors. The reliable application of these proxies still require further calibrations. In a similar fashion, the combination analysis of boron isotopes and Mg/Ca also has great advantages. Mg/Ca has been proved to be a reliable proxy for the surface seawater temperature. With the combination analysis, one can determine the phase between changes in atmospheric pCO2 and surface seawater temperature, thus explore the cause and mechanism of the changes in atmospheric pCO2. .

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.

东北四海龙湾玛珥湖啊1500年来长链烯酮不饱和度温标与古水温重建

The alkenone unsaturation paleothermometer is an important proxy to reconstruct water temperature, and is widely applied to reconstructing sea surface temperature in most oceanographic settings. Recent research indicates that long chain alkenone is preserved in lacustrine sediments, and the alkenone unsaturation has good relationship with mean annual temperature in studied lakes. Thus, the alkenone unsaturation could be used as a temperature proxy to reconstruct temperature in limnic systems. In this study, we analyzed long chain alkenone from the varved sediments in Lake Sihailongwan, northeastern China. Based on the counting varves, we established time scale during the past 1500 years. The distribution pattern in the sediment is similar with the previous study in lacustrine environment. The ratio of C37:4 methyl ketone to the sum of C37 alkenones is high. Based on the published temperature- alkenone unsaturation equation, we reconstructed the mean air temperature and July water temperature during the past 1500 years. Three major cold periods are in AD560-950, AD 1540-1600 and AD1800-1920. Three major warm periods are AD450-550, AD 950-1400 and AD 1600-1800. The Medieval Warm Period was a significant warm periods. However, the traditional “Little Ice Age” was not a persistent cold period, and interrupted by relative longer warm period. The temperature variations in this study show a general similar pattern with the summer temperature reconstruction from Shihua Cave and the winter temperature from historical documents. The temperature variations from long chain alknone record show a good agreement with solar activity (10Be data from ice core and sunspot number from tree rings). It may suggest that solar activity is most important forcing in the studied area.

南海沉积物中的放射虫及其古环境意义

In this paper a systematic study of radiolarian from surface sediments of all the South China Sea (SCS) has initially been done for its deposit ecology, biogeography and paleoenvironment significance. The paleoenvironment information obtained by radiolarian analysis and other sedimentary method for core samples is also made use as the synthesis proxy for revealing the paleoenvironment changes in the SCS and the relations of it with the past globe change during last 200ka. Some results come out of this study as: 1) Radiolarian skeleton chemistry composition and skeleton morphological features were analyzed, chiefly dividing them as 15 types of basic morphological features: 2) Analysis of biogeographical feature demonstrates that the fauna in SCS obviously belonging to a transitional type of west Pacific - Indian Ocean and has a particularity of itself: 3) Tendency of radiolarian population distribution is lower in shallow continental shelf area, increasing gradually toward the abyssal region; 4) Nine character boundaries of radiolarian depth distribution in the sediments from whole the South China Sea may be recognized; 5)Two radiolarian transfer functions for paleotemperature and paleo-primary productivity in the South China Sea have also been established respectively. The equation of transfer function for winter paleotemperature has only an average estimated error of 0.18678 ℃ and the equation for paleo-primary productivity has the calculation accuracy of 85.31%; 6) Changes of radiolarian individuals, numbers of species and H(S) values in core NS93-5 show the completely different oceanic geographical circumstance and ecology structure in the Last Maximum Glacial with present; 7) The abundance variation of some raiolarian warm species and cold species indicate the changes of water masse features along with the paleoenvironment evolution, showing that this sea area clearly is controlled in 6 issues of oxygen isotopes by the cold water masses; 8) By comparative analysis of δ ~(18)O curves with GISP2;s ice core can core 17940 of the northern SCS, the occurring characters of D/O's events 1-21 and Heinrich's events H1-H6 have been revealed in this sea area by core NS93-5, which prove the existence of paleoclimatic tele-connections between the southern SCS and Arctic region since about 200ka BP.