A Persistently Increasing Precipitation Trend Through the Holocene in Northwest China Recorded by Black Carbon δ13C From Sayram Lake
Precipitation is an important requirement for the stable and sustainable development of ecosystems and communities in arid areas, which are vulnerable to the influences of climate change. The changes in precipitation throughout the Holocene, as well as its long-term characteristics in arid northwest...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feart.2020.00228/full |
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| author | Qingfeng Jiang Jianan Zheng Yufeng Yang Wenwei Zhao Dongliang Ning Dongliang Ning |
| author_facet | Qingfeng Jiang Jianan Zheng Yufeng Yang Wenwei Zhao Dongliang Ning Dongliang Ning |
| author_sort | Qingfeng Jiang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Precipitation is an important requirement for the stable and sustainable development of ecosystems and communities in arid areas, which are vulnerable to the influences of climate change. The changes in precipitation throughout the Holocene, as well as its long-term characteristics in arid northwest China, are not well understood, and records to reconstruct the precipitation trends are needed. Therefore, this study established a well-dated black carbon (BC) stable isotope-inferred (δ13C) precipitation record based on a sediment core from Sayram Lake, Tianshan Mountains (Xinjiang province, northwest China). The record spans the last 12880 cal. yr BP. Variations in BC δ13C showed that between ∼12280 and 9260 cal. yr BP, regional precipitation gradually decreased, but then increased continually until the present, with millennial to centennial scale fluctuations. During the Holocene, a distinct period of low precipitation was observed between 9800 and 8800 cal. yr BP, and two episodes of high precipitation were observed between 8000 and 7600, and 5800 and 2500 cal. yr BP. The maximum precipitation occurred at ∼3800 cal. yr BP. Generally, the persistently increasing precipitation trend is consistent with other records from arid northwest China and adjacent areas. The trend was possibly controlled by Northern Hemisphere solar insolation and associated substantial ice sheet remnants, due to the influence of the North Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperatures and intensities of the Westerlies, which regulate the transport of water vapor to Xinjiang. The results provide a better understanding of the mechanisms driving the evolution of precipitation through the Holocene. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T08:32:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-144f170efcd142bea45a03100dc26df9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T08:32:36Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-144f170efcd142bea45a03100dc26df92022-12-22T03:40:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632020-07-01810.3389/feart.2020.00228539243A Persistently Increasing Precipitation Trend Through the Holocene in Northwest China Recorded by Black Carbon δ13C From Sayram LakeQingfeng Jiang0Jianan Zheng1Yufeng Yang2Wenwei Zhao3Dongliang Ning4Dongliang Ning5School of Geography Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, ChinaSchool of Geography Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, ChinaSchool of Geography Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, ChinaSchool of Geography Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, ChinaSchool of Geography Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, ChinaPrecipitation is an important requirement for the stable and sustainable development of ecosystems and communities in arid areas, which are vulnerable to the influences of climate change. The changes in precipitation throughout the Holocene, as well as its long-term characteristics in arid northwest China, are not well understood, and records to reconstruct the precipitation trends are needed. Therefore, this study established a well-dated black carbon (BC) stable isotope-inferred (δ13C) precipitation record based on a sediment core from Sayram Lake, Tianshan Mountains (Xinjiang province, northwest China). The record spans the last 12880 cal. yr BP. Variations in BC δ13C showed that between ∼12280 and 9260 cal. yr BP, regional precipitation gradually decreased, but then increased continually until the present, with millennial to centennial scale fluctuations. During the Holocene, a distinct period of low precipitation was observed between 9800 and 8800 cal. yr BP, and two episodes of high precipitation were observed between 8000 and 7600, and 5800 and 2500 cal. yr BP. The maximum precipitation occurred at ∼3800 cal. yr BP. Generally, the persistently increasing precipitation trend is consistent with other records from arid northwest China and adjacent areas. The trend was possibly controlled by Northern Hemisphere solar insolation and associated substantial ice sheet remnants, due to the influence of the North Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperatures and intensities of the Westerlies, which regulate the transport of water vapor to Xinjiang. The results provide a better understanding of the mechanisms driving the evolution of precipitation through the Holocene.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feart.2020.00228/fullblack carbon isotopenorthwest ChinaprecipitationHoloceneSayram Lake |
| spellingShingle | Qingfeng Jiang Jianan Zheng Yufeng Yang Wenwei Zhao Dongliang Ning Dongliang Ning A Persistently Increasing Precipitation Trend Through the Holocene in Northwest China Recorded by Black Carbon δ13C From Sayram Lake Frontiers in Earth Science black carbon isotope northwest China precipitation Holocene Sayram Lake |
| title | A Persistently Increasing Precipitation Trend Through the Holocene in Northwest China Recorded by Black Carbon δ13C From Sayram Lake |
| title_full | A Persistently Increasing Precipitation Trend Through the Holocene in Northwest China Recorded by Black Carbon δ13C From Sayram Lake |
| title_fullStr | A Persistently Increasing Precipitation Trend Through the Holocene in Northwest China Recorded by Black Carbon δ13C From Sayram Lake |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Persistently Increasing Precipitation Trend Through the Holocene in Northwest China Recorded by Black Carbon δ13C From Sayram Lake |
| title_short | A Persistently Increasing Precipitation Trend Through the Holocene in Northwest China Recorded by Black Carbon δ13C From Sayram Lake |
| title_sort | persistently increasing precipitation trend through the holocene in northwest china recorded by black carbon δ13c from sayram lake |
| topic | black carbon isotope northwest China precipitation Holocene Sayram Lake |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feart.2020.00228/full |
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