Reconstructing the Last 71 ka Paleoclimate in Northeast China by Integrating Typical Loess Sections

Abstract

Long-term continuous deposits and well-preserved thick loess sections are natural archives for the reconstruction of global climate change. However, the loess sections are often discontinuous owing to soil erosions and accumulations. This study aimed at reconstructing long-term continuous paleoclimatic records by integrating the target sections of two typical loess sequences in northeast (NE) China. One section, the Dajiugang (DJG) section, was investigated and sampled, and the Sanbahuo (SBH) section was used as the target for integrating and reconstructing the paleoclimate. Sedimentary, pedogenesis, and luminescence dating analyses were conducted to analyze the potentials for reconstructing the paleoclimate by integrating two typical loess sections. The results indicated that the paleoclimate records derived from the DJG section can be used to reconstruct the continuous paleoclimate of NE China by integrating them with the SBH section. The paleoclimate information inferred from the DJG section could impute paleoclimate data from 71 to 11.7 ka, which were missing in the SBH section. The paleoclimate of NE China generally consisted of three periods from 71 to 11.7 ka: cold and dry from 29 to 11.7 ka, alternately cold and warm from 57 to 29 ka, and warm and wet to cold and dry from 71 to 57 ka. Integrating the target loess sections can contribute to reconstructing regional long-term continuous paleoclimate records where discontinuous loess sequences occurred.