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Ice-Volume Forcing of East Asian Winter Monsoon Variations in the Past 800,000 Years

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Zhongli Ding ,
Tungsheng Liu ,
Nat W. Rutter ,
Zhiwei Yu ,
Zhengtang Guo  and
Rixiang Zhu
Zhongli Ding
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Tungsheng Liu
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Nat W. Rutter
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada T6G 2E3
Zhiwei Yu
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, China Mining and Technology University, Xuzhou 221008, China
Zhengtang Guo
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Rixiang Zhu
Affiliation:
Institute of Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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Abstract

Particle-size measurements of some typical loess-soil samples taken in different localities of the Chinese Loess Plateau demonstrate that the grain size ratio of <2 μm/>10 μm (%) can be used as an indicator of variations in intensity of the East Asian winter monsoon winds. Grain-size curves of the Baoji and Weinan sections show that this proxy indicator is very sensitive to loess-soil alterations. Analytical results also suggest that during soil-forming periods, eolian dust accumulation was still substantial and, hence, loess deposition can be regarded as a nearly continuous process during the Quaternary period. In this study we compared the Baoji grain-size time series with the SPECMAP marine isotope record with the objective of elucidating the dynamic linkage between changes in global ice volume and the winter monsoon circulation. Both records show good agreement at both time and frequency domains. In particular, the winter monsoon variations are also dominated by a 100,000 yr period over the past 800,000 yr. It is thus inferred that direct local insolation forcing could be less important in driving the East Asian winter monsoon variability, and, alternatively, variations in glacial-age boundary conditions may have played a key role in modulating and pacing its strength and timing.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 44 , Issue 2 , September 1995 , pp. 149 - 159
Copyright
University of Washington

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