Middle to late Holocene hydroclimate instability in the Yangtze River Delta region of China inferred from phytolith records, and its implications for societal disruption

Abstract

The decline of ancient societies has been often associated with hydroclimate instabilities. In this paper, we report phytolith records from the Yangtze River Delta of China, to reconstruct middle and late Holocene climate dynamics, and understand societal impacts. Our findings reveal that the area experienced a consistent decline in temperature and humidity punctuated by several rapid climate shifts. A distinct dry episode from 7000 to 6000 cal yr BP likely developed in response to weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and a southward shift of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), resulting in a weakened East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and a strengthened East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). This dry condition would have favoured the emergence of dryland and facilitated rice cultivation in the lower Yangtze region. Another dry episode at 4500–4000 cal yr BP, which was probably associated with the widespread 4.2 ka climate event, and linked to a further retreat of the ITCZ and highly variable ENSO intensity, led to highly unstable hydroclimate conditions in the region. We argue that this event disrupted social resilience and culminated in the cultural collapse at the end of Liangzhu Culture.