Combined high- and low-latitude forcing of East Asian monsoon precipitation variability in the Pliocene warm period
Wang, Y.; Lu, H.; Wang, K.; Wang, Y.; Li, Y.; Clemens, S.; Lv, H.; Huang, Z.; Wang, H.; Hu, X.; Lu, F.; Zhang, H. (2020). Combined high- and low-latitude forcing of East Asian monsoon precipitation variability in the Pliocene warm period. Science Advances 6(46): eabc2414. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc2414
In: Science Advances. AAAS: New York. ISSN 2375-2548; e-ISSN 2375-2548, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Wang, Y.
- Lu, H.
- Wang, K.
- Wang, Y.
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- Li, Y.
- Clemens, S.
- Lv, H.
- Huang, Z.
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- Wang, H.
- Hu, X.
- Lu, F.
- Zhang, H.
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| Abstract |
East Asian monsoon variability in the Pliocene warm world has not been sufficiently studied because of the lack of direct records. We present a high-resolution precipitation record from Pliocene fluvial-lacustrine sequences in the Weihe Basin, Central China, a region sensitive to the East Asian monsoon. The record shows an abrupt monsoon shift at ~4.2 million years ago, interpreted as the result of high-latitude cooling, with an extratropical temperature decrease across a critical threshold. The precipitation time series exhibits a pronounced ~100–thousand year periodicity and the presence of precession and half-precession cycles, which suggest low-latitude forcing. The synchronous phase but mismatched amplitudes of the East Asian monsoon precipitation proxy and eccentricity suggest a nonlinear but sensitive precipitation response to temperature forcing in the Pliocene warm world. These observations highlight the role of high- and low-latitude forcing of East Asian monsoon variations on tectonic and orbital time scales. |
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