Variability of PDO identified by a last 300-year stalagmite δ18O record in Southwest China

Abstract

Stalagmite oxygen isotope (δ18O) record has been widely used in characterizing Asian Monsoon variations. In southwest (SW) China, although the stalagmite δ18O was usually suggested as a precipitation proxy, it remains a subject of debate. Here we present two replicated, high-precise-dated stalagmite δ18O records for the interval 1710–2003 AD from Yunnan province, SW China. The stalagmite δ18O shows no correlation with the local monsoon precipitation, but a significantly positive correlation with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index. It demonstrates that the stalagmite δ18O in SW China is most likely influenced by the atmospheric circulation associated with the PDO through the upstream depletion mechanism. During the warm (cold) PDO period, the deficit rainfall over India would make the δ18O of water vapor transporting to SW China less (more) negative due to the weaker Rayleigh distillation process, which would lead to the less (more) negative stalagmite δ18O. Consequently, the stalagmite δ18O in SW China is suitable to reconstruct the PDO variations. It is important to note that the other factors, such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) or sea surface temperature (SST) also possibly affect the stalagmite δ18O in SW China, and the relationship between them requires further studies.