The lake status records and paleoclimatic changes of China since the Last Interstadial

Abstract

Lake level changes respond to variations in regional water balance and thus it has been one of the most important indicators applied to reconstruct paleoprecipitation and paleoclimate. In this study, the effective precipitation and the atmospheric circulation during the past three key periods, i.e., Last Interstadial (30 cal ka B.P.), the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 21 cal ka B.P.) and Mid-Holocene (6 cal ka B.P.), were analyzed based on the 76 lake-level records documented in the second version of Chinese Lake Status Data Base (CLSDB 2). The results indicated that the western part of China was characterized by elevated lake levels and expanded lake surfaces at 30 cal ka B.P., resulting from the strength of southwest monsoons. The high water stands appeared at 21 cal ka B.P. for lakes in western China were due to the enhanced intensities of Westerlies as well as the low evaporation, although the distribution extent of high lake-levels was reduced. For the period of Mid-Holocene, the lake stands of western China were relatively lower than those of the Last Interstadial and LGM, mainly as a result of shrunken Westerlies. Lake records from eastern China during the Last Interstadial and LGM were scarce, although there were a few reports showing higher or lower water stands compared to the present. A large number of high lake level records from eastern China were observed at the Mid-Holocene, which may be linked with the enhanced East-Asian summer monsoons.