Strengthening Of Summer Monsoon Research Articles

Mid-Pleistocene Transition altered upper water column structure in the Bay of Bengal

The unique water column structure and seasonal change in the hydrodynamics make the Bay of Bengal an interesting area to understand the effect of monsoon on the water column stratification. We have reconstructed a 1.45 Myr record of planktic foraminifera assemblages and a 1.16 Myr (MIS 47- MIS 8) record of the difference in the stable oxygen isotopic ratio (Δδ18O) between the mixed layer dwelling Globigerinoides ruber and thermocline dweller Neogloboquadrina dutertrei from the IODP Site U1446 to understand the change in water column stratification and its relationship with the monsoon. From the glacial-interglacial shift in Δδ18O and mixed layer and thermocline assemblages, we infer a stronger stratification during the warm interstadials and comparatively weaker stratification during the cold stadials. The strengthened summer monsoon induced high direct rainfall and riverine influx inhibited mixing in the upper layer and created a shallow thermocline during the interstadials. We report a large variability in Δδ18O prior to the mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT). Interestingly, the glacial-interglacial shift in Δδ18O significantly decreased post MPT. A stronger upwelling and deeper mixed layer during the stadial periods reduced the glacial-interglacial shift in Δδ18O post mid-Pleistocene transition. The strengthened summer monsoon during the post MPT period increased the stratification in the Bay of Bengal.

Impact of the uplift of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and NE Tibetan Plateau on the East Asian climate since the late Miocene

The uplift of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) and the northeastern (NE) Tibetan Plateau has exerted an important effect on the evolution of the East Asian climate since the late Miocene. However, previous modeling studies were generally based on modern boundary conditions, a direct comparison between the impacts of the uplift of the CAOB and NE Tibetan Plateau was still absent, and the climatic effects of the uplift of these mountains since the late Miocene remain ambiguous. Here, we use the Community Atmosphere Model version 4 (CAM4) with a high horizontal resolution (∼0.63° × 0.47°) combined with late Miocene boundary conditions to investigate the effects of the CAOB and NE Tibetan Plateau uplift on the East Asian climate since the late Miocene. The results indicate that the combined uplift of these landmasses increased the annual precipitation in the uplifted regions and eastern Asia, decreased the annual precipitation in central Asia, strengthened summer monsoon winds over northern East Asia, weakened winter monsoon winds over southern East Asia, and strengthened summer and winter high tropospheric westerly wind at northern high latitudes. Of the two uplifting landmasses, the uplift of the CAOB increased the summer precipitation and strengthened the summer high tropospheric westerly wind at higher latitudes and had a greater impact on the changes in winter monsoon winds and winter high tropospheric westerly wind. By comparison, the uplift of the NE Tibetan Plateau was also important in some aspects, such as the increased annual precipitation in eastern Asia. These results emphasized the important climate effects of the CAOB and NE Tibetan Plateau on the East Asian climate and improved our understanding of the dynamic link between orogenic evolution and paleoclimatic change since the late Miocene.

Delineation of terrestrial and marine productivity in the southwestern continental margin of India

• Terrestrial/marine paleoproductivity proxies show paleosummer monsoon fluctuations. • Pollen is more reliable and coherent climate proxy than marine ones. • Summer monsoon weakened along SW India during Younger Dryas . • Monsoon intensified from early to late Holocene with a break during 6.7–4.0 ka. Although there are numerous investigations on the reconstruction of palaeomonsoon, there are inconsistencies between the terrestrial and marine archives. In this study, we have made an attempt to unravel this problem from a multi-proxy study of a sediment core from the south-west continental margin of India (SWCI). Here, we characterize pollen and dinocyst, and compare it with the marine primary productivity indicators (organic carbon and CaCO 3 ) in an AMS 14 C-dated sediment core collected off the SWCI. The sedimentation rate decreases consistently from late-glacial through early Holocene to the late Holocene (31.16 cm/ka, 24.8 cm/ka and 15.4 cm/ka respectively). The down-core distribution of pollen shows the presence of Poaceae and Cyperaceae without mangroves and other terrestrial pollen around 13.2 ka BP − 11.7 ka BP, suggesting a weakened summer monsoon during the Younger Dryas. Increase in the abundance of mangroves and tropical moist/dry deciduous forest pollen along with the dinocyst during ∼ 11.7 ka to 8.5 ka BP indicates the growth of vegetation in the hinterland as a result of the intensification of monsoon during the early Holocene. This was followed by a maximum marine transgression phase along with a strengthened summer monsoon between ∼ 8.0 ka BP and 6.7 ka BP, as evidenced by the dominance of mangroves and presence of terrestrial pollen taxa. Further, a significant decline of vegetation during 6.7 ka BP to 4.0 ka BP indicates weakened summer monsoon. In contrast to the pollen profiles, however, a significant increase in the mangroves and herbaceous pollen from 4.0 ka BP to 3.2 ka BP suggests a gradual revival of the summer monsoon during the late Holocene. Above mentioned paleoclimatic reconstructions are in contrast to the marine CaCO 3 and organic carbon, as these are lower and fairly constant from Younger Dryas upto 8.0 ka BP, then gradually increased till 6.5 ka BP, and show little variations during the late Holocene. This study suggests that the pollen preserved in the marine sediments are not only reliable indicators, but they are also consistent with other palaeomonsoon proxies measured in archives from the South Asia for the reconstruction of climate.

Terrigenous sediment variations in the western South China Sea and their implications to East Asian monsoon evolution during the last glacial-interglacial cycle

Major-element geochemistry from two Cores MD05-2899 and MD05-2901 off central Vietnam in the lower continental slope of the western South China Sea is investigated to reconstruct a history of terrigenous sediment variations and East Asian monsoon evolution during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. The results suggest that the Pearl River can play a more important role in contributing terrigenous sediments to the western South China Sea than the Red River in the north, while the Mekong River can transport more terrigenous sediments to the region than the Sunda shelf and the Indonesian islands in the south. The Pearl River provides terrigenous sediments with higher Al2O3, but lower K2O, MgO, and Fe2O3 (Total Fe) than the Mekong River. K2O/Al2O3, MgO/Al2O3, and Fe2O3/Al2O3 ratios are then used as proxies to trace terrigenous sediment variations in the western South China Sea. Higher K2O/Al2O3, MgO/Al2O3, and Fe2O3/Al2O3 ratios indicate strengthened terrigenous sediments input from the southern source and lower the ratios suggest increased terrigenous sediments received from the northern source. These ratios show a glacial-interglacial cycle over the past 130 ka, implying a close relationship with the East Asian monsoon evolution. Northward surface currents forced by strengthened summer monsoon during interglacial periods bring relatively higher amounts of terrigenous sediments from the southern source to the western South China Sea, while relatively higher amounts of terrigenous sediments from the northern source are transported to the western South China Sea by southward surface currents in strengthened winter monsoon during glacial periods. Our study indicates that the terrigenous sediment variations in the western South China Sea are significantly controlled by surface currents under the strong influence of the East Asian monsoon evolution during the last glacial-interglacial cycle.

Development and Evaluation of a Hydrometeorological Forecasting System Using the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST) Model

In this study, an experimental hydrometeorological forecasting system was developed based on the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST) model. The system downloads global real-time ocean, atmosphere, and wave forcing data, producing regional forecasts every day. A coastal area in South China, encompassing Hainan Island, Leizhou Peninsula, and surrounding sea areas, was chosen as the study domain. A series of 72-hour forecasting simulations were conducted in the area, lasting from July 27 to August 31, 2019. The forecasts throughout August were chosen for evaluation with station observations, along with two sets of reanalysis data, ERA5 and CLDAS. The evaluation results revealed that the COAWST model had high potential for routine forecasting operations. The 24 h forecasts, with a lead time of 24 hours, had high accuracy, while the 48 h and 72 h forecasts did not differ greatly in terms of performance. The distributions of bias between forecast and reanalysis data showed obvious differences between land and sea, with more forecasted precipitation and lower temperatures in land grids than in sea grids. In most cases, the forecasts were closer to ERA5 in terms of means and other statistical measures. The forecasts enlarged the land-sea differences of temperature when compared with ERA5 and strengthened summer monsoon with more moisture transported to land areas. Resulting from that, a forecasted bias of lower surface pressure, higher air humidity, stronger south wind, and so forth was also detected over the domain but at low values.

Inconsistent change in surface hydrography of the eastern Arabian Sea during the last four glacial–interglacial intervals

AbstractThe eastern Arabian Sea is influenced by both the advection of upwelled water from the western Arabian Sea and winter convective mixing. Therefore, sediments collected from the eastern Arabian Sea can help to understand the long-term seasonal hydrographic changes. We used the planktonic foraminifera census and stable isotopic ratio (δ18O) from sediments drilled during the International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 355 to reconstruct surface hydrographic changes in the eastern Arabian Sea during the last 350 kyr. The increased abundance of Globigerina bulloides suggests enhanced advection of upwelled water during the latter half of MIS7 and the beginning of MIS6, as a result of a strengthened summer monsoon. A large drop in upwelling and/or advection of upwelled water from the western Arabian Sea is inferred during the subsequent interval of MIS6, based on the rare presence of G. bulloides. The comparable relative abundance of Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, G. bulloides and Globigerinoides ruber suggests that during the early part of MIS5, hydrographic conditions were similar to today. The upwelling decreased and winter convection increased with the progress of the glacial interval. A good coherence between planktonic foraminiferal assemblage-based monsoon stacks from both the eastern and western Arabian Sea suggests a coeval response of the entire northern Arabian Sea to the glacial–interglacial changes. The glacial–interglacial difference in δ18Osw-ivc was at a maximum with 4–5 psu change in salinity during Termination 2 and 3, and a minimum during Termination 4. The significantly reduced regional contribution to the glacial–interglacial change in δ18Osw-ivc during Termination 4 suggests a lesser change in the monsoon.

Carbonate factory turnovers influenced by the monsoon (Xisha Islands, South China Sea)

Carbonate factory turnovers are the integrated result of climatic, oceanographic and biological controls. Sedimentological, geochemical and palaeontological data from core XK-1 drilled in the Xisha Islands, South China Sea, reveal that photozoan to heterozoan carbonate factory turnovers during the Early and Middle Miocene in isolated carbonate platforms were mainly caused by changes in the upwelling regime. A heterozoan open bank association thrived in tropical shallow water under conditions of nutrient excess, indicated by high ln(Cu/Ti) and ln(Ba/Ti), and by the increased abundances of rhodoliths and some foraminifer genera. During the Early and Middle Miocene, episodes characterized by a heterozoan carbonate production correlate with times of East Asian Summer Monsoon strengthening, especially from 21.2 to 17.3 Ma and from 15.6 to 11.6 Ma. This study thus provides new insights into the variability of shallow water carbonate deposition in monsoon-influenced areas and also shows that carbonate factory turnovers can contribute to a better understanding of the monsoon9s evolution. Supplementary material: Biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic data, coral content, geochemical data and mineral compositions related to this study are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4507070

Role of Asian summer monsoon subsystems in the inter-hemispheric progression of deglaciation

The responses of Asian monsoon subsystems to both hemispheric climate forcing and external orbital forcing are currently issues of vigorous debate. The Indian summer monsoon is the dominant monsoon subsystem in terms of energy flux, constituting one of Earth’s most dynamic expressions of ocean–atmosphere interactions. Yet, the Indian summer monsoon is grossly under-represented in Asian monsoon palaeoclimate records. Here, we present high-resolution records of Indian summer monsoon-induced rainfall and fluvial runoff recovered in a sediment core from the Bay of Bengal across Termination II, 139–127 thousand years ago, including coupled measurements of the oxygen isotopic composition and Mg/Ca, Mn/Ca, Nd/Ca and U/Ca ratios in surface-ocean-dwelling foraminifera. Our data reveal a millennial-scale transient strengthening of the Asian monsoon that punctuates Termination II associated with an oscillation of the bipolar seesaw. The progression of deglacial warming across Termination II emerges first in the Southern Hemisphere, then the tropics in tandem with Indian summer monsoon strengthening, and finally the Northern Hemisphere. We therefore suggest that the Indian summer monsoon was a conduit for conveying Southern Hemisphere latent heat northwards, thereby promoting subsequent Northern Hemisphere deglaciation. During deglacial warming at Termination II, about 130,000 years ago, the Indian summer monsoon helped convey heat northwards as deglaciation progressed from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere, according to sediment records from the Bay of Bengal.

Altered trends in carbon uptake in China's terrestrial ecosystems under the enhanced summer monsoon and warming hiatus.

The carbon budgets in terrestrial ecosystems in China are strongly coupled with climate changes. Over the past decade, China has experienced dramatic climate changes characterized by enhanced summer monsoon and decelerated warming. However, the changes in the trends of terrestrial net ecosystem production (NEP) in China under climate changes are not well documented. Here, we used three ecosystem models to simulate the spatiotemporal variations in China's NEP during 1982–2010 and quantify the contribution of the strengthened summer monsoon and warming hiatus to the NEP variations in four distinct climatic regions of the country. Our results revealed a decadal-scale shift in NEP from a downtrend of –5.95 Tg C/yr2 (reduced sink) during 1982–2000 to an uptrend of 14.22 Tg C/yr2 (enhanced sink) during 2000–10. This shift was essentially induced by the strengthened summer monsoon, which stimulated carbon uptake, and the warming hiatus, which lessened the decrease in the NEP trend. Compared to the contribution of 56.3% by the climate effect, atmospheric CO2 concentration and nitrogen deposition had relatively small contributions (8.6 and 11.3%, respectively) to the shift. In conclusion, within the context of the global-warming hiatus, the strengthening of the summer monsoon is a critical climate factor that enhances carbon uptake in China due to the asymmetric response of photosynthesis and respiration. Our study not only revealed the shift in ecosystem carbon sequestration in China in recent decades, but also provides some insight for understanding ecosystem carbon dynamics in other monsoonal areas.

Shelf-edge delta overreach at the shelf break can guarantee the delivery of terrestrial sediments to deep water at all sea-level stands

How and when sediment moves from terrestrial sources to deep-water sinks is a significant area of research. We have used an array of seismic, borehole, and gravity core data sets to explore the timing and magnitude of sediment-routing to Pearl River slope over the last 478 k.y. As predicted by existing sequence stratigraphic models, most sediment dispersal to deep water is shown to have occurred during glacial sea-level falls; however, clastic detritus was still being transported into deep water during interglacial sea-level rises. We suggest that sediment routing to deep water during interglacial sea-level rise is caused by summer monsoon strengthening and resultant warmer and wetter climates, both of which have enhanced effective precipitation and sediment supply. Although some models for the delivery of sediment to deep-water basins stress the importance of proximity of canyon heads and coeval shorelines, we observed that sediment routing to deep water could occur regardless of the distance between channel head and coeval shorelines. In the present case, the success of delivery is related to the combined effects of (1) the short duration and high amplitude of sea-level oscillations during the past 478 k.y. and (2) the enhanced sediment supply caused by more humid climates and greater temperature difference between glacial and interglacial period. This hypothesis is supported by (1) observations that outer Pearl River deltas prograded as an apron over preexisting shelf edges for 10–15 km (6–9 mi) and (2) the occurrence of slope channels extending back to prodelta reaches of Pearl River shelf-edge deltas.

Changing sediment sources in the Bay of Bengal: Evidence of summer monsoon intensification and ice-melt over Himalaya during the Late Quaternary

A gravity core retrieved from the southern Bay of Bengal (BoB) was studied to determine the sources of sediments and factors controlling their distributions during the Late Quaternary. The parameters used for this study was sediment grain size, organic carbon, clay mineralogy and environmental magnetic properties. Radiocarbon ages of sediments indicate that the 3.06 m long sediment core covers a period since ~45 cal kyr B.P. The sediments deposited before ~14 cal kyr B.P. were clayey silt with higher magnetic susceptibility (MS) values (av: 26 × 10−8 m3 kg−1) and those deposited after ~14 cal kyr B.P. were sandy silt with lower MS values (avg: 13 × 10−8 m3 kg−1). The latter period (after ~14 cal kyr B.P.) indicated high energy turbidites from the Himalayan Rivers into the BoB due to the strengthening of summer monsoon and ice-melt in the Himalayas. Higher smectite and lower illite contents during the last glacial maximum (LGM) reflected low sediment supply from the Ganges-Brahmaputra River System (GBRS) and higher illite and lower smectite during ~14 cal kyr B.P. indicated increased sediment supply from GBRS during this interglacial period. The magnetic grain size of sediments deposited from ~15 cal kyr B.P. was more fine-grained at the start of the Bølling-Ållerød (B-A) event and coarse-grained during ~13 cal kyr B.P. (Younger Dryas event). Fine-grained magnetic minerals also showed a peak at ~11 cal kyr B.P. along with higher summer solar insolation. The down-core variations in sediment grain size, magnetic properties and clay minerals were interpreted in relation to the significant changes in sources of sediments in the BoB during different climatic events. The changing sediment supply in the BoB was due to the combined influence of ice-melt by increased solar insolation and intensification of summer monsoon over Himalaya. Increase of fine-grained magnetic minerals at ~15 cal kyr B.P. and coarser sediment fraction at ~14 cal kyr B.P. indicated time gap between intensification of summer monsoon and ice-melt over Himalaya, respectively. The trend of the magnetic grain size record seems to be modulated by orbital-scale variations in June insolation, which coincides with the summer monsoon variations also. These observed climatic variations are correlating well with the climate changes of the Northern Hemisphere during the Late Quaternary.

Past Millennium Contrasting Hydroclimate Patterns Between Monsoonal Northern China and Arid Central Asia: a Modeling Study

Widely distributed proxy records show that there were out-of-phase behaviors of moisture change between arid central Asia (ACA) and monsoonal northern China during the Little Ice Age (LIA) and Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA). We examined spatial pattern differences between the MCA and LIA to identify contrasting patterns of summer precipitation variability, and to diagnose explanatory mechanisms through the analysis of a 1000-year global climate model simulation driven by natural and anthropogenic forcing. The results show that the model was able to roughly produce the general features of MCA-LIA hydroclimatic spatial differences between monsoonal northern China and ACA, with a relatively wet MCA found in monsoonal northern China and a relatively dry MCA found in ACA. A further analysis of associated circulations shows that increased summer precipitation in monsoonal northern China was caused by the strengthening of summer monsoon, while the decline in summer precipitation in ACA was caused by an anomalous northward displacement of the subtropical westerly jet stream. Our analyses suggest that both effective solar forcing and El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) may produce these contrasting patterns of precipitation between monsoonal northern China and ACA. Due to a change in the probability of ENSO phases at the centennial time scale found in our experiments may be attributed to solar irradiances, higher effective solar irradiances during the MCA relative to those of the LIA may have been the ultimate forcing mechanism for the simulated precipitation differences between the MCA and LIA.

Responses of the East Asian Summer Monsoon in the Low‐Latitude South China Sea to High‐Latitude Millennial‐Scale Climatic Changes During the Last Glaciation: Evidence From a High‐Resolution Clay Mineralogical Record

AbstractHigh‐resolution clay mineral assemblage combined with Nd and Sr isotopic compositions of Core MD12‐3434 located in the northern South China Sea was investigated to reveal terrigenous sediment response to the East Asian monsoon evolution during the last glaciation. Clay mineralogical variations indicate clear millennial‐scale oscillations that are mainly due to rapid changes in the proportion of smectite to illite and chlorite. Smectite is derived predominantly from rapid chemical weathering of volcanic rocks in Luzon under strong summer monsoon, while illite and chlorite are mainly sourced from Taiwan through reinforced physical erosion. Thus, the smectite/(illite + chlorite) ratio is adopted to reconstruct the East Asian summer monsoon evolution during the last glaciation. Rapid increases in the smectite/(illite + chlorite) ratio imply strengthened summer monsoon occurred during Dansgaard‐Oeschger and Bølling‐Allerød interstadials. In contrast, rapid decreases in the ratio indicate relatively weakened summer monsoon happened during Heinrich and Younger Dryas stadials. These millennial‐scale climatic signals documented by clay mineralogical compositions of deep‐sea sediments in the South China Sea can be better preserved in calm deeper‐water sedimentary environments. Our study highlights the prompt responses of the East Asian monsoon system to millennial‐scale climatic changes occurred in high‐latitude Northern Hemisphere through contemporaneous chemical weathering of volcanic rocks and/or sediment supply variations under strong physical erosion in the low‐latitude South China Sea, implying an atmospheric teleconnection from the North Atlantic to the Asian monsoon region.

Sedimentary budget of the Southwest Sub‐basin, South China Sea: Controlling factors and geological implications

Calculation of the sediment budget in the South China Sea abyssal basin lacks constraints from drilling data and reinterpretation of seismic data. On the basis of six multichannel seismic profiles across the Southwest Sub‐basin (SWSB) and the drilling data from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349, we divided the Cenozoic sediments into four sedimentary units. The sedimentary budget of the abyssal basin at different geological times was calculated. The previous works in the Mekong continental shelf and slope areas were integrated to calculate the sediment budget of the whole SWSB. Our researches show that the sediment budget in the SWSB increased during the Palaeogene and reached its first peak because of intensified erosion, which might have resulted from the continued uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and accelerated southeastward extrusion of the Indo‐China Peninsula. Since the Late Miocene, the sediment budget was mainly influenced by the East Asia monsoon, that is, the intensified winter monsoon decreased the sediment budget of the entire area during the Late Miocene, whereas the strengthened summer monsoon increased the sediment budget during the Pliocene and reached a peak during the Pleistocene. The sediment budgets of the Mekong continental shelf, the Mekong continental slope, and the abyssal basin have distinct characteristics, relating to the infilling sequence of the terrestrial sediments in different regions. The sediment provenance of the SWSB was mainly from the Indo‐China Peninsula, the Nansha area, and the Palawan before the Late Miocene. After that time, sediments were mainly transported from the modern Mekong River.

Holocene hydrological and sea surface temperature changes in the northern coast of the South China Sea

In order to reconstruct the Holocene environmental history of a coastal site in the northern South China Sea, this study analysed the organic carbon isotope ratios (δ13Corg) and alkenone unsaturation ratios (UK′37) from a 36.5m-long sediment core drilled at seabed in the mouth region of the Pearl River estuary and generated a coupled hydrological and temperature record. This record reveals changes of monsoon-induced sediment discharge and sea surface temperature of the Holocene in four stages. In Stage I, the site was under fluvial conditions prior to postglacial marine transgression. Stage II saw an increase of sea surface temperature from c. 23.0°C to 27.0°C, associated with a strengthened summer monsoon from c. 10,350 to 8900cal. years BP. This was also a period of rapid sea-level rise and marine transgression, during which the sea inundated the palaeo-incised channel, i.e. the lower part of the T-shape accommodation space created by the rising sea. In these 1500years, fluvial discharge was strong and concentrated within the channel, and the high sedimentation rate (11.8mm/year) was very close to the rate of sea-level rise. In the subsequent 2000years (Stage III) sea level continued to rise and the sea flooded the broad seabed above the palaeo-incised channel, resulted in fluvial discharge spreading thinly across the wide accommodation space and a much reduced sedimentation rate (1.8mm/year). Sea surface temperature in this stage reached 27.3°C initially, but dropped sharply to 26.1°C towards c. 8200cal. years BP. The final stage covers the last 7000years, and the site was under a stable sea level. Sedimentation in this stage varied a little, but averaged at 1.8mm/year. Whilst fluvial discharge and sea surface temperature didn’t change much, two short periods of hydrological and temperature change were observed, which are related to the climatic cooling events of c. 4200cal. years ago and the Little Ice Age.

Holocene controls on wetland carbon accumulation in the Sanjiang Plain, China

Understanding the response of carbon (C) accumulation to past climate changes can provide useful insights for predicting the fate of C in a future, warmer world. Here, we present data from three well-dated peat cores that reveal the history of wetland C accumulation in the Sanjiang Plain (China), and its links to Holocene climate and environmental changes. Regional C accumulation was largely governed by monsoon-driven depositional conditions. Before ~4400 cal year BP, the strong summer monsoon favored development of lakes with relatively slow and stable C accumulation rates, ~20 g C m−2 year−1. Thereafter, with the sharp decline in summer monsoon precipitation, peatlands began to form at the expense of the paleolakes, leading to a roughly sixfold increase in the C accumulation rate. This was a consequence of the higher primary production in peatlands compared to lakes. During the interval from 4400 to 500 cal year BP, the gradually increasing C accumulation rate responded to the decreasing strength of the summer monsoon. The decline in C accumulation rate over the past 500 years is attributed to both the strengthened summer monsoon and intensified human influences.

Fast responses of climate system to carbon dioxide, aerosols and sulfate aerosols without the mediation of SST in the CMIP5

ABSTRACTIn this study, fast climate system responses to CO2, aerosols and sulfate aerosols are studied based on simulations of Coupled Model Inter‐comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) atmospheric models. We demonstrate that the fast climate adjustments caused by CO2 forcing lead to decreases in global annual mean cloud fractions, evaporation and precipitation and to increases in the global annual mean net radiative forcing and atmospheric water vapour content. The inhibition of rainfall is primarily caused by the reduced oceanic precipitation. Regionally, Africa, South Asia, East Asia and Australia exhibit pronounced increases in rainfall, which are presumably attributed to the strengthened summer monsoon caused by the increased land–sea thermal contrast. Aerosols and sulfate aerosols exhibit only a slight effect on the global hydrological cycle before global surface temperature changes. However, by affecting the land–sea thermal contrast, they can have profound effects on regional‐scale hydrological cycles, such as those over southern Africa, South Asia and East Asia in the boreal summer. Moreover, the cloud fast feedback under the aerosol forcing is highly associated with the way of dealing with aerosols in the atmospheric model.

Mechanisms of subtropical plankton transport into the coastal waters of southern Primorye, a case of <i>Paracalanus parvus</i>

Results of long-term studies of zooplankton species in the Amur Bay (Japan Sea) are analyzed. Two seasonal «waves» of the allochtonous species are defined: the first in the early summer that is formed mainly by inter-zonal copepods spawning in the deep layers ( Metridia pacifica , Neocalanus plumchrus, Calanus glacialis ) and the second in the late summer that is represented by warm-water copepods of subtropical origin ( Calanus pacificus and Paracalanus parvus ) obviously transported from the southern Japan Sea by currents. The latter species is able to dominate in the zooplankton community of coastal waters in the early-autumn season. Variations of this mass species abundance in the Amur Bay under changes of wind-driven upwelling/downwelling circulation are investigated using an empirical advective model of its cross-shelf transport. There is found that strong summer southern on-shore winds (summer monsoon) are favourable for its high abundance but in these conditions it is transported toward the coast by the deep compensatory flow developed only after the summer monsoon change to the winter monsoon with opposite direction; that’s why the high abundance is observed in autumn, in September-October. In the years with weak summer monsoon the species is transported to the bay in mass by the surface on-shore wind-driven flow earlier, in August, but its number decreases after the monsoon change, so the maximum of abundance is not high. Patterns of the transport by cross-shelf currents depend supposedly on the depth of plankton concentration. Recent strengthening of summer monsoon causes heightening of P. parvus abundance in the coastal waters at southern Primorye, up to extreme high values in 2013, but climatic trend of the summer monsoon intensity is negative, so decreasing of this species transport toward Primorye coast and its abundance in the coastal waters, as the Amur Bay, can be expected in the nearest future.

The Oldest Cranium of Sinomastodon (Proboscidea, Gomphotheriidae), Discovered in the Uppermost Miocene of Southwestern China: Implications for the Origin and Migration of This Taxon

The origin of the Old World brevirostrine gomphotheriid taxon Sinomastodon has been debated intensively. The discovery of the oldest known Sinomastodon cranium, reported herein, supports its endemic origin and contradicts the prevalent theory of its North America origin. The new cranium was discovered from the Shuitangba locality, southwestern China, and is dated at about 6.5–6.0 Ma, corresponding to the latest Miocene. The new specimen shows distinct characters from the other species of Sinomastodon and was therefore named Sinomastodon praeintermedius, sp. nov. Newly discovered, isolated Sinomastodon-like teeth from the upper Miocene to the lower Pleistocene of southwestern China and Southeast Asia indicate a long evolution of Sinomastodon endemically. Remains of this species are frequently accompanied by those of stegodontid species. These two groups may have had a similar migration route, invading northern China and Japan during the latest Miocene, and retreating or becoming extinct from the Palearctic realm by the end of the Pliocene. The migrations of proboscideans may have been sparked by major paleoenviromental changes, i.e., the strengthened summer monsoon beginning in the late Miocene (~7–8 Ma) and global cooling due to the expansion of ice sheets from the middle Pliocene to the early Pleistocene. The new finding reveals a close relationship of the early Pliocene fauna of northern China and the latest Miocene fauna of southwestern China, and thus provides novel insight into the origin and components of Pliocene fauna in northern China.

Chronology of late Quaternary glaciation and landform evolution in the upper Dhauliganga valley, (Trans Himalaya), Uttarakhand, India

Detailed field mapping of glacial and paraglacial landforms supported by optical and radiocarbon dating is used to reconstruct the history of late Quaternary glaciation and landform evolution in the Trans Himalayan region of the upper Dhauliganga valley. The study identifies four events of glaciations with decreasing magnitude which are termed as Purvi Kamet Stage -Ia (PKS-Ia), PKS-Ib, PKS-II, PKS-III and PKS-IV respectively. The oldest PKS-Ia and Ib are assigned the Marine Isotopic Stgae-3 (MIS-3), the PKS-II to the Last Glacial Maximum (MIS-2), PKS-III dated to 7.9 ± 0.7 ka, and the PKS-IV is dated to 3.4 ± 0.3 ka and 1.9 ± 0.2 ka respectively.The largest valley glaciations viz. the (PKS-Ia) occurred during the strengthened summer monsoon corresponding to the MIS-3, following this, the recessional moraines (PKS-Ib) represent the gradual decline in summer monsoon towards the later part of MIS-3. The valley responded to the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), which is represented by the PKS-II moraine implying the influence of strengthened mid-latitude westerlies during the LGM. The post-LGM deglaciation was associated with the onset of summer monsoon and is represented by the deposition of four distinct outwash gravel terraces. The early Holocene PKS-III glaciation occurred around 7.9 ± 0.7 ka and broadly coincides with the early Holocene cooling event (8.2 ka). This was followed by the deposition of stratified scree deposits and the alluvial fan (between 5.5 ka and 3 ka) during the mid to late Holocene aridity. This was followed by marginal re-advancement of the valley glacier (viz. PKS-IV) during the late Holocene cool and moist climate. Although glaciers respond to a combination of temperature and precipitation changes, however during the Holocene it seems that temperature played a major role in driving the glaciation.