The 8.2 ka cooling event in coastal East Asia: High-resolution pollen evidence from southwestern Korea

Jungjae Park,Eunmi Lee,Sangheon Yi,Jinheum Park,Qiuhong Jin,Jin Cheul Kim

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-31002-7

Jungjae Park, Eunmi Lee + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-31002-7

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Abstract

In this study, we present a high-resolution multi-proxy record (pollen, magnetic susceptibility, and mean grain size) from Bigeum Island, South Korea, which mainly showed early Holocene paleoenvironmental change. Bigeum pollen records indicated that early Holocene climate variations in coastal East Asia were principally controlled by the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Most importantly, the 8.2 ka cooling event was clearly recognized for the first time in coastal East Asia, where few high-resolution proxy data, such as ice core and stalagmite δ18O records, are available. The insular vegetation in the study site was extremely susceptible to even short-term climate changes, such as the 8.2 ka cooling event, which allowed a detailed climate reconstruction from pollen data. Early Holocene climate teleconnections between coastal East Asia and other regions were identified through regional comparisons of Greenland, China, Brazil, Spain, Madagascar, and Korea. Coastal East Asia is one of world’s most populated regions and will be particularly vulnerable to future climate change. Accurate and detailed paleoclimate proxy data, such as the Bigeum pollen record, will therefore be increasingly important in this region.

Highlights

Abrupt short-term Holocene climate change has been extensively studied by paleoclimatologists because of concerns that a similar sudden change might occur in the future[1,2]
Thirteen samples were submitted to the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and two samples to Beta Analytic Inc. for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating (Table 1 and Fig. 2b)
Sediment pollen data, which is a useful paleoclimate proxy, is relatively easy to obtain in the region

Summary

Introduction

Abrupt short-term Holocene climate change has been extensively studied by paleoclimatologists because of concerns that a similar sudden change might occur in the future[1,2]. In East Asia, the 8.2 ka event is clearly reflected in the cave stalagmite δ18O data from central China, which shows a strong linkage between the Asian monsoon and North Atlantic climate[7,15,16]. These data may not be suitable for examining Holocene climate variations in coastal East Asia (i.e., eastern China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea). It is about 48 km[2] in size, with a shoreline circumference and a long axis reaching ~88 and ~12 km, respectively[20]. The eastern part of the island consists of tidal flats, which have mostly been reclaimed since the 16th century and used as rice paddies or salt ponds[21]

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