The Y. D. and climate abrupt events in the early and middle Holocene: Stalagmite oxygen isotope record from Maolan, Guizhou, China

The isotope records which range from 3.9 kaBP to 15.7 kaBP with an average resolution of 90 a have been obtained from 45 cm to 193.6 cm of the upper part of D4 stalagmite from Dongguo Cave in Libo, Guizhou, by using system TIMS U-series dating and carbon and oxygen stable isotope analyses. The study indicates that the last cold event, the YD (Younger Dryas) event, of the last glacial period was apparently shown in D4 record, which started from 12.80 kaBP and ended in 11.58 kaBP, with a great range of drop in temperature. The end of the last glacial period was consistent with the termination I in oceanic isotope records and was with time limit of 11.3 kaBP. The three most distinct cold events in the early and middle Holocene occurred respectively in 10.91 kaBP, 8.27 kaBP and 4.75 kaBP, with a range of drop in temperature reaching 2 - 5°C. The climate abrupt events in thousand and hundred years scale recorded in stalagmite δ¹⁸O can be compared to those in GISP2 ice cores from Greenland in their happening time and the range of their lasting time. The cold events in 8.27 kaBP and 4.75 kaBP can also be compared to CC3 stalagmite records in Ireland, which indicate that climate changes of short range in China monsoon areas, western Europe and polar regions, have the same driving factor. This has a global significance. In addition, the trend of record curves in some time-stages is apparently different, which reflects probably the difference between environment in monsoon climate areas and in polar regions. Copyright by Science in China Press 2005.