Changes in dominant moisture sources and the consequences for hydroclimate on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau during the past 32 kyr

Abstract

Lake Qinghai, located on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau north of the modern maximum summer monsoon extent, is well situated to record northward advances of the summer monsoon. Existing paleoclimate records contain conflicting evidence for the timing of summer monsoon advance into this region: an early arrival pre-Younger Dryas or a late arrival at the beginning of the Holocene. A 30-kyr-long leaf wax hydrogen isotope (n-alkanoic acid, δ2Hwax) record from Lake Qinghai helps to address this discrepancy by elucidating changes in the three main moisture sources in this region: southerly (summer monsoon), northwesterly, and local precipitation. Lake Qinghai δ2Hwax indicates that the arid glacial period was dominated by northwesterly moisture. Extremely arid conditions prevailed from 15 to 14 ka, likely because westerly winds were weakening and the summer monsoon had not yet reached this region. This arid period ended by 13.6 ka when small amounts of summer monsoon precipitation reached Lake Qinghai. Summer monsoon moisture subsequently retreated off of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau during the Younger Dryas and re-advanced in the early Holocene. Summer monsoon precipitation decreased progressively throughout the Holocene in response to decreasing summer insolation, and the modern northwesterly- and local-dominated moisture regime was attained ca. 2.6 ka. Lake Qinghai δ2Hwax demonstrates that the summer monsoon extent was dynamic during the past 30 kyr, responding dramatically to insolation and North Atlantic circulation changes. Moreover, Lake Qinghai δ2Hwax demonstrates that local and northwesterly air masses are important moisture sources to the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, and should be considered when reconstructing past hydroclimate in this region.