Abstract
Abstract. Variations of precipitation, also called the Meiyu rain, in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) domain during the last millennium could help enlighten the hydrological response to future global warming. Here we present a precisely dated and highly resolved stalagmite δ18O record from the Yongxing Cave, central China. Our new record, combined with a previously published one from the same cave, indicates that the Meiyu rain has changed dramatically in association with the global temperature change. In particular, our record shows that the Meiyu rain was weakened during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) but intensified during the Little Ice Age (LIA). During the Current Warm Period (CWP), our record indicates a similar weakening of the Meiyu rain. Furthermore, during the MCA and CWP, our records show that the atmospheric precipitation is similarly wet in northern China and similarly dry in central China, but relatively wet during the CWP in southern China. This spatial discrepancy indicates a complicated localized response of the regional precipitation to the anthropogenic forcing. The weakened (intensified) Meiyu rain during the MCA (LIA) matches well with the warm (cold) phases of Northern Hemisphere surface air temperature. This Meiyu rain pattern also corresponds well to the climatic conditions over the tropical Indo-Pacific warm pool. On the other hand, our record shows a strong association with the North Atlantic climate as well. The reduced (increased) Meiyu rain correlates well with positive (negative) phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation. In addition, our record links well to the strong (weak) Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during the MCA (LIA) period. All abovementioned localized correspondences and remote teleconnections on decadal to centennial timescales indicate that the Meiyu rain was coupled closely with oceanic processes in the tropical Pacific and North Atlantic oceans during the MCA and LIA.
Highlights
The last millennium was climatically characterized by the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; ∼ 800–1350 CE), the Little Ice Age (LIA; ∼ 1350–1850 CE), and the Current Warm Period (CWP; ∼ 1850 CE to present) (Lamb, 2002; Mann et al, 2009)
Origins of the MCA and LIA are attributed to the radiative forcing associated with solar activities and volcanic eruptions, yet the CWP is considered to be a result of increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gases (Bradley and Jonest, 1993; Hegerl et al, 2007; Lamoureux et al, 2001; Sigl et al, 2014)
It is unclear about the hydrological variation during the MCA and LIA over central China
Summary
The last millennium was climatically characterized by the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; ∼ 800–1350 CE), the Little Ice Age (LIA; ∼ 1350–1850 CE), and the Current Warm Period (CWP; ∼ 1850 CE to present) (Lamb, 2002; Mann et al, 2009). Many studies have indicated that the monsoonal climate of China has generally recorded a wetter MCA and drier LIA in the north but shows reverse conditions in the south (Tan et al, 2009, 2018; Chen et al, 2015). It is unclear about the hydrological variation during the MCA and LIA over central China. An examination of the relative precipitation intensity is the key to evaluating the hydrological responses under anthropogenic warming
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