What controlled Mid–Late Miocene long-term aridification in Central Asia? — Global cooling or Tibetan Plateau uplift: A review

2012 ◽  
Vol 112 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 155-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunfa Miao ◽  
Mark Herrmann ◽  
Fuli Wu ◽  
Xiaoli Yan ◽  
Shengli Yang
2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1485-1508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. F. Miao ◽  
X. M. Fang ◽  
F. L. Wu ◽  
M. T. Cai ◽  
C. H. Song ◽  
...  

Abstract. Cenozoic climate changes in inner Asia provide a basis for understanding linkages between global cooling, the Tibetan Plateau uplift, and possibly the development of the East Asian monsoon. Based on the compiled palynological results from the western Qaidam Basin, this study reconstructed an 18 Ma record of changing vegetation and paleoclimates since the middle Miocene. Thermophilic taxa percentages were highest between 18 and 14 Ma and decreased after 14 Ma, corresponding closely with the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO) between 18 and 14 Ma and the following global climatic cooling. After 3.6 Ma, the thermophilic taxa percentages further decreased, showing the inevitable relations with the ice-sheets enlargement in the North Hemisphere. During the same period of time, the increase in xerophytic taxa percentages and decrease in conifers percentages imply aridification in both the basin and surrounding mountains since 18 Ma. These results indicate that global cooling mainly controlled the climate change from a relative warm-wet stage to a cold-dry stage during the late Cenozoic at the western Qaidam Basin, and that the Tibetan Plateau uplift also contributed in contrast to the East Asian summer monsoon.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangyu Li ◽  
Zhongshi Zhang ◽  
Ran Zhang ◽  
Qing Yan

<p>Geological evidence shows that the Asian inland environment experienced enhanced aridity from the Early to the Late Eocene. The underlying mechanism for this enhanced Eocene aridity in the Asian inland is still not well illustrated and varies between global cooling and early Tibetan Plateau uplift. In this report, we evaluate the climate impact of three factors, global cooling, topographic uplift and land–sea reorganization, on the enhanced Eocene aridity in Asian inland, in the perspective view from paleoclimate modeling. Paleoclimate modeling supports the Eocene aridification in Asian inland explored by paleoclimate reconstruction. Both the early uplift of Tibetan Plateau and global cooling induced by atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> reduction contributed to the enhanced aridity in Asian inland in the late Eocene. The Eocene land sea redistribution caused the precipitation increase in Asian inland and hence didn’t contribute to the enhanced aridity there. The uplift of the central Tibetan Plateau during the early stage of the India–Asia collision is emphasized more to be responsible for the long-term Asian inland aridification during the Eocene, playing at least an equally important role as the global cooling induced by decrease in atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub>. The variation of atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> is likely more important in modulating the regional aridity, leading to the short-term fluctuations in this Eocene Asian inland aridification.</p>


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixiang Wang ◽  
Yongjin Shen ◽  
Zhibin Pang

Abstract. The Tibetan Plateau uplift and its linkages with the evolution of the Asian climate during the Cenozoic are a research focus for numerous geologists. Here, a comprehensive review of tectonic activities across the Tibet shows that the development of the Tibetan Plateau has undergone mainly three stages of the uplift: the near-modern elevation of the central Tibet and significant uplift of the northern margins (~ 55–35 Ma), the further uplift of the plateau margins (30–20 Ma), and a rapid uplift of the plateau margins again (15–8 Ma). The first uplift of the plateau during ~ 55–35 Ma forced the long-term westward retreat of the Paratethys Sea. The high elevation of the central Tibet and/or the Himalayan would enhance rock weathering and erosion contributing to lowering of atmospheric CO2 content, resulting in global cooling. The global cooling, sea retreat coupled with the topographic barrier effect of the Tibetan Plateau could have caused the initial aridification in central Asia during the Eocene time. The second uplift of the northern Tibet could have resulted in the onset of the East Asian winter monsoon as well as intensive desertification of inland Asia, whereas the central-eastern in China became wet. The further strengthening of the East Asian winter monsoon and the inland Asian aridification during 15–8 Ma was probably associated with the Tibetan Plateau uplift and global cooling. Therefore, the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau plays a very important role in the Asian aridification.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Min Yang ◽  
June-Yi Lee ◽  
Bin Wang

Abstract The Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Himalayas have been treated as an essential external factor in shaping Asian monsoon and mid-latitude atmospheric circulation. In this study we perform numerical experiments with different uplift altitudes using the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology Earth System Model to examine potential impacts of uplift of the TP and Himalayas on eastward propagation of the MJO and the associated mechanisms. Analysis of experimental results with dynamics-based MJO diagnostics indicates two potential mechanisms. First, the uplift considerably enhances low-level mean westerlies in the Indian Ocean and convection in the Maritime Continent, which in turn strengthens boundary layer moisture convergence (BLMC) to the east of the MJO convective center. The increased BLMC reinforces upward transport of moisture and heat from BL to free atmosphere and increases lower tropospheric diabatic heating by shallow and congestus clouds ahead of the MJO center, enhancing the Kelvin-Rossby wave feedback. Second, the uplift increases upper tropospheric mean easterlies and stratiform heating at the west of the MJO center, which contributes to eastward propagation of MJO by generating positive moist static energy at the east of MJO center. This study will contribute to a better understanding of the origin of the MJO and improvement in simulation of MJO propagation.


1970 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anil K Gupta

DOI = 10.3126/hjs.v5i7.1260 Himalayan Journal of Sciences Vol.5(7) (Special Issue) 2008 p.58


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