Abstract
Studying the peatlands accumulation and carbon (C) storage in monsoonal areas could provide useful insights into the response of C dynamics to climate variation in the geological past. Here, we integrated 40 well-dated peat/lake sediment cores to reveal the peatlands evolution history in the Sanjiang Plain and examine its links to East Asian monsoon variations during the Holocene. The results show that 80% peatlands in the Sanjiang Plain initiated after 4.7 ka (1 ka = 1000 cal yr BP), with the largest initiating frequency around 4.5 ka. The mean C accumulation rate of peatlands in the Sanjiang Plain exhibits a synchronous increase with the peatlands expansion during the Holocene. Such a peatlands expanding and C accumulating pattern corresponds well to the remarkable drying event subsequent to the Holocene monsoon maximum. We suggest that in addition to the locally topographic conditions, Holocene variations of East Asian summer monsoon (especially its associated precipitation) have played a critical role in driving the peatlands initiation and expansion in the Sanjiang Plain.
Highlights
A considerable number of world peatlands initiated during the Last Glacial Maximum, a relatively cold and dry interval[10,14]
The AMS dating results indicate that the peatlands occurrences in the Sanjiang Plain cover a wide range of the Holocene, 80% of them concentrate in the last 4.7 ka (Fig. 3a,b) and the largest initiating frequency
The peatlands initiation is marked by the appearance of peat layers in the geological past, and the peat deposits are defined by a high ratio of the organic matter contents
Summary
A considerable number of world peatlands initiated during the Last Glacial Maximum, a relatively cold and dry interval[10,14]. Such an inverse correlation between the peat accumulation and moisture conditions seems to be inconsistent with the modeling results. The Sanjiang Plain known as the largest fresh-water wetland area is located in the northern monsoon marginal region, making it a sensitive region to East Asian monsoon variations[15]. We integrated 40 well-dated peat cores to reveal peatlands initiation and C accumulation histories in the Sanjiang Plain, and discuss their relations to the East Asian monsoon circulations during the Holocene
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