6533b7cffe1ef96bd1259000
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Long-term decrease in Asian monsoon rainfall and abrupt climate change events over the past 6,700 years
Guanghui DongValerie TrouetMi YanNils Chr. StensethJianglin WangChun QinUlf BüntgenJuerg LuterbacherLiang NingSuming WangJussi GrießingerBao YangAchim BräuningSergio RossiSergio RossiTimothy J. OsbornJan EsperJan EsperFredrik Charpentier LjungqvistEdward R. CookXiaofeng WangLea Schneidersubject
climate variabilityClimate Research010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciencesSocial Sciencesstable isotopes010502 geochemistry & geophysics01 natural sciencesKlimatforskningmegadrought417East Asian MonsoonPrecipitationHolocene0105 earth and related environmental sciencesgeographyMultidisciplinaryPlateaugeography.geographical_feature_categoryvariabilityAsian summer monsoonBiological Sciencestree ringsAridificationAbrupt climate changePhysical geographyMegadroughtEnvironmental SciencesChronologydescription
Significance The variability of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) is important for the functioning of ecological and societal systems at regional to continental scales, but the long-term evolution and interannual variability of this system is not well understood. Here, we present a stable isotope–based reconstruction of ASM variability covering 4680 BCE to 2011 CE. Superimposed on a gradual drying trend, a rapid drop in mean annual precipitation (>40%) toward persistently drier conditions occurred in ∼1675 BCE. This megadrought caused regional forest deterioration and enhanced aeolian activity affecting Chinese ecosystems. We argue that this abrupt aridification starting ∼2000 BCE triggered waves of human migration and societal transformation in northern China, which contributed to the alteration of spatial pattern of ancient civilizations.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-27 |