Climatic implication of stalagmite δ13C in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River since the Last Glacial Maximum and coupling with δ18O

Zhenjun Wang, Shitao Chen, Yongjin Wang, Kan Zhao, Yijia Liang, Xianglei Li, Jingwei Zhang, Shaohua Yang, Zhenqiu Zhang, Gongzhe Chen, Xiumin Zhai, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards

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10 Scopus citations

Abstract

The relationship between monsoon circulation and regional hydrology in the Yangtze River Basin since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) remains unclear. In this study, we present speleothem (LS46) δ18O and δ13C records over the past 23.5 kyr from the Luoshui Cave in Central China. Stalagmite LS46 δ13C displayed a good similarity with variations in δDwax-derived monsoon precipitation from Lake TengchongQinghai (TCQH) and the extreme precipitation events identified by the IRMsoft-flux from Heshang Cave, thus indicating that speleothem calcite δ13C reflects the changes in regional hydrology. The ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and wavelet spectrum analyses revealed that the regional hydrology was paced by ∼2000-year periodicity during the LGM and last deglaciation and ∼ 1000-year periodicity during the Holocene, respectively. Our results further indicated that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) plays an important role in regulating changes in the frequency and magnitude of regional hydrology in the Yangtze River Basin under different climatic conditions. Moreover, our results demonstrated that δ18O and δ13C were coupled on multiple timescales, thus potentially indicating that local hydrological variations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River are regulated by large-scale monsoonal circulation. However, we also found that the δ18O and δ13C profiles decoupled during the last deglaciation, likely due to a decrease in evapotranspiration in combination with a decrease in monsoon intensity and temperature during this period. Consequently, the regional hydrological conditions did not experience any dramatic changes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number111290
JournalPalaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
Volume608
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 15 2022
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

  • Asian monsoon
  • ENSO
  • Local hydrology
  • Monsoonal circulation
  • Stalagmite

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