Junyi Ge

Potential utility of tree ring δ18O series for reconstructing precipitation records from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, southeast China

In this study, we investigated the interannual and intraannual variabilities in the oxygen isotope composition (δO) preserved in the tree ring cellulose of Pinus taiwanensis in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, southeast China, to explore its potential utility for precipitation reconstruction over the period of 1855–2013. Intraannual variations of tree ring cellulose δO show distinct annual cycles that are characterized by δOmaxima in the early growth near the ring boundary and δOminima in themiddle and late portions of the ring. Seasonal patterns of tree ring δO were influenced by August–October typhoons. The tree ring cellulose δO was measured in both young and old trees to test for the juvenile effect. The results revealed no significant differences in the mean values and long-term trends in δO in the old and young trees. A response analysis indicated that tree ring δO correlated significantly with precipitation and relative humidity between May and October, and the δO chronology accounted for 37.4% of the actual variation in the May–October precipitation between 1951 and 2013. The extremely dry and wet years revealed by the tree ring δO-based reconstructed precipitation also corresponded to actual local drought and flood events from the documentary records. Reconstructed precipitation showed significant relationship with central tropical Pacific sea surface temperature, which indicated that El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) exerted influences on May–October precipitation in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In addition, the relationship between ENSO and precipitation weakened between 1920 and 1940, and low variance of ENSO from 1920 to 1940 may result in the damped ENSO’s influences on precipitation in southeast China.

Distribution and vegetation reconstruction of the deserts of northern China during the mid‐Holocene

Desertification is potentially a serious threat to society, and therefore, it is critical to understand how deserts may respond to future climate change. The mid-Holocene (6 ± 0.5 14C ka) was warmer than present, and the distribution of deserts at this time may have implications for understanding their response to future warming. Here we reconstruct the distribution of deserts in northern China during the mid-Holocene by combining data on vegetation type and the sedimentary facies of aeolian deposits. The results demonstrate that during the mid-Holocene, the deserts retreated northwestward to the location of the modern 300 mm isohyet. Most of the Eastern Desert was stabilized with steppe or forest-steppe vegetation, whereas the Western Desert exhibited no significant change and remained mobile, occupied by desert vegetation. The deserts in northern China were greatly reduced during the mid-Holocene because of the enhancement of the East Asian summer monsoon in a warmer climate than today.

Plio-Pleistocene evolution of Bohai Basin (East Asia): demise of Bohai Paleolake and transition to marine environment

The Bohai Basin was transformed to an inner shelf sea hundreds of thousands years ago. This youngest land-sea transition participated in the significant modification of the distribution of fresh water, sediment fluxes and climate in East Asia, and played an important role in the origin of the Asian marginal seas. Here we present the results of a magnetostratigraphic investigation and propose a conceptual model for the land-sea transition. Our findings indicate that the transition probably started several million years ago, from a fluvial system during the late Miocene and early Pliocene, to a lacustrine environment between the late Pliocene and Middle Pleistocene, and finally to a marine system in the late Pleistocene. Comparison of our results with previous research suggests that the Bohai Paleolake was initiated from the late Pliocene, was fully developed prior to ~1.0 Ma, and terminated around the late Middle Pleistocene. The Miaodao Islands formed the eastern “barrier” of the basin and since the Pliocene or earlier they played a significant role in blocking the lake water and sediments. They deformed from ~1.0 Ma, subsided significantly at ~0.3 Ma and completely by ~0.1 Ma, resulting in the maturation of the basin as an inner shelf sea.

Elevation-induced climate change as a dominant factor causing the late Miocene C4 plant expansion in the Himalayan foreland

During the late Miocene, a dramatic global expansion of C4 plant distribution occurred with broad spatial and temporal variations. Although the event is well documented, whether subsequent expansions were caused by a decreased atmospheric CO2 concentration or climate change is a contentious issue. In this study, we used an improved inverse vegetation modeling approach that accounts for the physiological responses of C3 and C4 plants to quantitatively reconstruct the paleoclimate in the Siwalik of Nepal based on pollen and carbon isotope data. We also studied the sensitivity of the C3 and C4 plants to changes in the climate and the atmospheric CO2 concentration. We suggest that the expansion of the C4 plant distribution during the late Miocene may have been primarily triggered by regional aridification and temperature increases. The expansion was unlikely caused by reduced CO2 levels alone. Our findings suggest that this abrupt ecological shift mainly resulted from climate changes related to the decreased elevation of the Himalayan foreland.

Magnetostratigraphic dating of the hominin occupation of Bailong Cave, central China

Intermontane basins in the southern piedmont of the Qinling Mountains are important sources of information on hominin occupation and settlement, and provide an excellent opportunity to study early human evolution and behavioral adaptation. Here, we present the results of a detailed magnetostratigraphic investigation of the sedimentary sequence of hominin-bearing Bailong Cave in Yunxi Basin, central China. Correlation to the geomagnetic polarity time scale was achieved using previously published biostratigraphy, 26Al/10Be burial dating, and coupled electron spin resonance (ESR) and U-series dating. The Bailong Cave hominin-bearing layer is dated to the early Brunhes Chron, close to the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal at 0.78 Ma. Our findings, coupled with other records, indicate the flourishing of early humans in mainland East Asia during the Mid-Pleistocene climate transition (MPT). This suggests that early humans were adapted to diverse and variable environments over a broad latitudinal range during the MPT, from temperate northern China to subtropical southern China.

Magnetostratigraphic evidence for deep-sea erosion on the Pacific Plate, south of Mariana Trench, since the middle Pleistocene: potential constraints for Antarctic bottom water circulation

Abstract The Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) current plays a crucial role in storing and transporting heat, water, and nutrients around the world. However, it is impossible to monitor AABW in the Plio-Pleistocene by direct measurement. Hence, abyssal erosion was usually chosen as an effective indicator of the presence of the AABW in the Indian and Eastern Pacific Oceans during that period. Here, we report a high-resolution magnetostratigraphy of a gravity core, the JL7KGC-01A from the south of the Mariana Trench, northwest Pacific Ocean. The main results are as follows: (1) polarity data suggest that the sequence recorded the late Gauss chron to the early Brunhes chron, including the Jaramillo, Cobb Mountain, and Olduvai normal subchrons; (2) the sedimentary processes in the study area since 2.9 Ma show three stages of sedimentation: 83 cm/Ma during 2.9–1.2 Ma, 183 cm/Ma during 1.2–0.7 Ma, and no sedimentation since ~0.7 Ma; (3) the area south of the Mariana Trench experienced a significant change in the deposition rate at 1.2 Ma, which could be correlated with the intensified desertification in inland Asia, and experienced a prominent depositional hiatus since the early middle Pleistocene, which likely resulted from the enhanced/expanded AABW. Based on these new polarity data and comparisons with previous studies around the Pacific Ocean, we therefore propose that the AABW experienced a notable change during the early–mid Pleistocene transition.