Paleoclimatic proxies from global closed basins and the possible beginning of Anthropocene

Abstract

Global closed basins, occupying almost one fifth of the world’s land area, spatially coincide with arid and semiarid areas. Paleoclimatic proxies can indicate basin-wide environmental change and human activity. However, previous studies have not approached the use of proxies in the same way to reconstruct natural and anthropogenic processes at regional and global scales. Here we present a regional study to investigate the basic processes of paleoclimatic proxies, from a typical closed-basin system in arid China. We use multiple paleoclimatic proxies of surface samples and sediments, as well as groundwater and sediment ages to study environmental change and human activity. We then establish a dataset for paleoclimatic proxies from global closed basins and do a numerical analysis on it. Regional studies verify that human activity greatly impacts paleoclimatic proxies, especially with regard to surface samples, as well as groundwater age, but Holocene sediments are less affected. Results from global studies indicate that the major changing trend of the wet/dry status of closed basins is associated with the movement of the westerly jet streams controlled by long-term changes in winter insolation. There is an abrupt change between 1800 AD and 1900 AD, according to a numerical synthesis of paleoclimatic proxies from global closed basins, which can be linked to human impact. We suggest this time period can be considered as a start point for the Anthropocene based on the sedimentary evidence of closed basins, globally.