scholarly journals Precipitation record since AD 1600 from ice cores on the central Tibetan Plateau

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Yao ◽  
K. Duan ◽  
B. Xu ◽  
N. Wang ◽  
X. Guo ◽  
...  

Abstract. Lack of reliable long-term precipitation record from the northern Tibetan Plateau has constrained our understanding of precipitation variations in this region. We drilled an ice core on the Puruogangri Ice Field in the central Tibetan Plateau in 2000 to reveal the precipitation variations. The well dated part of the core extends back to AD 1600, allowing us to construct a 400-year annual accumulation record. This record shows that the central Tibetan plateau experienced a drier period with an average annual precipitation of ~300 mm in the 19th century, compared to ~450 mm in the wetter periods during 1700–1780 and the 20th century. This pattern agrees with precipitation reconstructions from the Dunde and Guliya ice cores on the northern Plateau but differs from that found in the Dasuopu ice cores from the southern Plateau The north-south contrasts in precipitation reconstruction reveals difference in moisture origin between the south Tibetan Plateau dominated by the Asian monsoon and the north Tibetan Plateau dominated by the continental recycling and the westerlies.

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Yao ◽  
K. Duan ◽  
B. Xu ◽  
N. Wang ◽  
X. Guo ◽  
...  

Abstract. Lack of reliable long-term precipitation record from northern Tibetan Plateau has constrained the understanding of precipitation variation in this region. An ice core drilled from the Puruogangri Ice Field on central Tibetan Plateau in the year 2000 helped reveal the precipitation variations since AD 1600. Analysis of the annual accumulation data presented precipitation changes from AD 1600, indicative of wet and dry periods in the past 400 year in the central Tibetan Plateau. Accordingly, the 18th and 20th centuries experienced high precipitation period, whilst the 19th century experienced low precipitation period. Such a feature was consistent with precipitation recorded in ice cores from Dunde and Guliya Glaciers, northern Tibetan Plateau. Besides, the results also pointed to consistency in precipitation-temperature correlation on the northern Tibetan Plateau, in a way that temperature and precipitation were positively correlated. But this feature was contrary to the relationship revealed from Dasuopu ice cores, southern Tibetan Plateau, where temperature and precipitation were negatively correlated. The north-south contrast in precipitation amount and its relationship with temperature may shed light on the reconstruction of Asian monsoon since AD 1600.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 1929-1949
Author(s):  
D. R. Joswiak ◽  
T. Yao ◽  
G. Wu ◽  
B. Xu ◽  
W. Zheng

Abstract. A 33 m ice core was retrieved from the Tanggula Mtns, central Tibetan Plateau at 5743 m a.s.l. in August 2005. Annual average δ18O ratios were determined for the upper 17 m depth, representing the time series since the mid-1930's based on multi-parameter dating techniques. Data are compared to previous results (Kang et al., 2007) of an ice core from Mt. Geladaindong, 100 km to the northwest, for the period 1935–2003. During the time 1935–1960, δ18O ratios differed by 2–3‰ between the two ice cores, with generally lower ratios preserved in the Tanggula 2005 core. Differences in interannual variability and overall average ratios between the two study locations highlight the spatially variable climatic signals of ice core isotope ratios within the boundary of monsoon- and westerly-impacted regions of the central Tibetan Plateau. Average annual net accumulation was 261 mm w.eq. yr−1 for the period 1935–2004. Overall average δ18O ratio was −13.2‰ and exhibited a statistically significant increase from the 1935–1969 average (−413.7‰) to the 1970–2004 average (−12.6‰). Despite the observed increase in isotope ratios, temperature dependence was not found based on comparison with long-term data from meteorological stations to the north and southwest of the study location. Lack of temperature dependence is likely due monsoon influence, which results in relatively more depleted moisture arriving during the warm season. Evidence of monsoon impacts on precipitation in the central Tibetan Plateau has been previously documented, and statistically significant negative correlation (r=-0.37, p<0.01) between the annual average ice core δ18O ratio and N. India monsoon rainfall was observed for the period 1935–2004.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. An ◽  
S. Hou ◽  
W. Zhang ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
Y. Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract. Stable oxygen isotopic records in ice cores provide valuable information about past temperature, especially for regions with scarce instrumental measurements. This paper presents the δ18O result of an ice core drilled to bedrock from Mt. Zangser Kangri (ZK), a remote area on the northern Tibetan Plateau (TP). We reconstructed the temperature series for 1951–2008 from the δ18O records. In addition, we combined the ZK δ18O records with those from three other ice cores in the northern TP (Muztagata, Puruogangri, and Geladaindong) to reconstruct a regional temperature history for the period 1951–2002 (RTNTP). The RTNTP showed significant warming at 0.51 ± 0.07 °C (10 yr)−1 since 1970, a higher rate than the trend of instrumental records of the northern TP (0.43 ± 0.08 °C (10 yr)−1) and the global temperature trend (0.27 ± 0.03°C (10 yr)−1) at the same time. In addition, the ZK temperature record, with extra length until 2008, seems to suggest that the rapid elevation-dependent warming continued for this region during the last decade, when the mean global temperature showed very little change. This could provide insights into the behavior of the recent warming hiatus at higher elevations, where instrumental climate records are lacking.


2007 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 362-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tandong Yao ◽  
Keqin Duan ◽  
L.G. Thompson ◽  
Ninglian Wang ◽  
Lide Tian ◽  
...  

AbstractTemperature variation on the Tibetan Plateau over the last 1000 years has been inferred using a composite δ18O record from four ice cores. Data from a new ice core recovered from the Puruogangri ice field in the central Tibetan Plateau are combined with those from three other cores (Dunde, Guliya and Dasuopu) recovered previously. The ice-core δ18O composite record indicates that the temperature change on the whole Tibetan Plateau is similar to that in the Northern Hemisphere on multi-decadal timescales except that there is no decreasing trend from AD 1000 to the late 19th century. The δ18O composite record from the northern Tibetan Plateau, however, indicates a cooling trend from AD 1000 to the late 19th century, which is more consistent with the Northern Hemisphere temperature reconstruction. The δ18O composite record reveals the existence of the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age (LIA) on the Tibetan Plateau. However, on the Tibetan Plateau the LIA is not the coldest period during the last millennium as in other regions in the Northern Hemisphere. The present study indicates that the 20th-century warming on the Tibetan Plateau is abrupt, and is warmer than at any time during the past 1000 years.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. Joswiak ◽  
T. Yao ◽  
G. Wu ◽  
B. Xu ◽  
W. Zheng

Abstract. A 33 m ice core was retrieved from the Tanggula Mts, central Tibetan Plateau at 5743 m a.s.l. in August 2005. Annual average δ18O values were determined for the upper 17 m depth (14.6 m w.eq.), representing the time series since the mid-1930s. Data are compared to previous results of an ice core from Mt. Geladaindong, 100 km to the northwest, for the period 1935–2003. During the time 1935–1960, δ18O values differed by 2–3‰ between the two ice cores, with generally lower ratios preserved in the Tanggula 2005 core. Differences in interannual variability and overall average ratios between the two study locations highlight the spatially variable climate controls on ice core isotope ratios within the boundary of monsoon- and westerly-impacted regions of the central Tibetan Plateau. Average annual net accumulation was 261 mm w.eq. for the period 1935–2004. The overall average δ18O value was −13.2‰ and exhibited a statistically significant increase from the 1935–1969 average (−13.7‰) to the 1970–2004 average (−12.6‰). Despite the observed increase in isotope ratios, isotopic temperature dependence was not evident, based on comparison with long-term data from meteorological stations to the north and southwest of the study location. Lack of correlation between average δ18O values and temperature is likely due to monsoon influence, which results in relatively greater isotopic depletion of moisture during the warm season. Evidence of monsoon impacts on precipitation in the central Tibetan Plateau has been previously documented, and statistically significant negative correlation (r=−0.37, p<0.01) between the annual average ice core δ18O values and North India monsoon rainfall was observed for the period 1935–2004. Although the δ18O data agree well with the monsoon rainfall amount, no significant correlation was observed between the core accumulation and the monsoon rainfall amount. Previous model and observational results suggest monsoon impact on δ18O in precipitation may extend beyond the immediate extent of heavy monsoon rainfall, reaching the central Tibetan Plateau. These results provide evidence that the δ18O variability at this study location may be sensitive to southern monsoon intensity.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mackenzie M. Grieman ◽  
Murat Aydin ◽  
Diedrich Fritzsche ◽  
Joseph R. McConnell ◽  
Thomas Opel ◽  
...  

Abstract. Wildfires and their emissions have significant impacts on ecosystems, climate, atmospheric chemistry and carbon cycling. Well-dated proxy records are needed to study the long-term climatic controls on biomass burning and the associated climate feedbacks. There is a particular lack of information about long-term biomass burning variations in Siberia, the largest forested area in the Northern Hemisphere. In this study we report analyses of aromatic acids (vanillic and para-hydroxybenzoic acids) over the past 3145 years in the Eurasian Arctic Akademii Nauk ice core. These compounds are aerosol-borne, semi-volatile organic compounds derived from lignin combustion. The analyses were made using ion chromatography with electrospray mass spectrometric detection. The levels of these aromatic acids ranged from below the detection limit (.01 to .05 ppb) to about 1 ppb, with roughly 30 % of the samples above the detection limit. In the preindustrial late Holocene, highly elevated aromatic acid levels are observed during four distinct periods (1180–660 BCE, 180–220 CE, 380–660 CE, and 1460–1660 CE). The timing of these periods coincides with the episodic pulsing of ice-rafted debris in the North Atlantic known as Bond events. Aromatic acid levels also are elevated during the onset of the industrial period from 1780 to 1860 CE, but with a different ratio of vanillic and para-hydroxybenzoic acid than is observed during the preindustrial period. This study provides the first millennial scale record of aromatic acids. It clearly demonstrates that coherent aromatic acid signals are recorded in polar ice cores that can be used as proxies for past trends in biomass burning.


2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (213) ◽  
pp. 56-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Joswiak ◽  
Tandong Yao ◽  
Guangjian Wu ◽  
Lide Tian ◽  
Baiqing Xu

AbstractStable isotopes are a primary tool for inferring past temperature changes and atmospheric moisture variability from ice cores. A 33 m ice core representing the period 1850–2004 was retrieved from the Tanggula Mountains, central Tibetan Plateau (5743 m a.s.l.), in August 2005. Annual average stable isotope (δ18O, δD) values generally increase during the period, while the second-order parameter of deuterium excess (d-excess) generally decreases. High annual average d-excess values (18.2‰) throughout the ice core suggest a significant contribution of continental recycled moisture. d-excess values shift from relatively higher values during 1850–1940 to lower values since the 1940s. Annual isotope values and reconstructed accumulation are compared with climate indices, local station temperature records and northern India monsoon precipitation. Significant correlation is observed between δ18O and the Southern Oscillation, NINO3.4 and Dipole Mode indices. Annual average d-excess values revealed a significant negative correlation with the Dipole Mode index. Results suggest a relatively greater contribution of westerly-dominated continental moisture prior to the 1940s and an increase in the contribution of moisture evaporated under more humid conditions since the 1940s.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 2701-2728 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. An ◽  
S. Hou ◽  
W. Zhang ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
Y. Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract. Stable oxygen isotopic records in ice cores provide valuable information about past temperature, especially for regions with scarce instrumental measurements. This paper presents the δ18O result of an ice core drilled to bedrock from Mt. Zangser Kangri (ZK), a remote area on the northern Tibetan Plateau (TP). Combining the ZK δ18O records with those from three other ice cores in the region (Muztagata, Puruogangri and Geladaindong), we reconstructed the regional temperature history covering 1951–2008 for the northern TP. The reconstruction showed significant warming at 1.12 ± 0.08 to 1.31 ± 0.10 °C(10 yr)−1 since 1970, a much higher rate than the trend of instrumental records of the northern TP (0.45 ± 0.06 °C(10 yr)−1) and the global temperature trend (0.28 ± 0.02 °C(10 yr)−1) at the same time. Moreover, the rapid warming remained for this region during the last decade, when the mean global temperature showed very little change. Our study suggests that the temperature variations at high elevations could behave differently due to specific topographic and circulation mechanisms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mackenzie M. Grieman ◽  
Murat Aydin ◽  
Diedrich Fritzsche ◽  
Joseph R. McConnell ◽  
Thomas Opel ◽  
...  

Abstract. Wildfires and their emissions have significant impacts on ecosystems, climate, atmospheric chemistry, and carbon cycling. Well-dated proxy records are needed to study the long-term climatic controls on biomass burning and the associated climate feedbacks. There is a particular lack of information about long-term biomass burning variations in Siberia, the largest forested area in the Northern Hemisphere. In this study we report analyses of aromatic acids (vanillic and para-hydroxybenzoic acids) over the past 2600 years in the Eurasian Arctic Akademii Nauk ice core. These compounds are aerosol-borne, semi-volatile organic compounds derived from lignin combustion. The analyses were made using ion chromatography with electrospray mass spectrometric detection. The levels of these aromatic acids ranged from below the detection limit (0.01 to 0.05 ppb; 1 ppb  =  1000 ng L−1) to about 1 ppb, with roughly 30 % of the samples above the detection limit. In the preindustrial late Holocene, highly elevated aromatic acid levels are observed during three distinct periods (650–300 BCE, 340–660 CE, and 1460–1660 CE). The timing of the two most recent periods coincides with the episodic pulsing of ice-rafted debris in the North Atlantic known as Bond events and a weakened Asian monsoon, suggesting a link between fires and large-scale climate variability on millennial timescales. Aromatic acid levels also are elevated during the onset of the industrial period from 1780 to 1860 CE, but with a different ratio of vanillic and para-hydroxybenzoic acid than is observed during the preindustrial period. This study provides the first millennial-scale record of aromatic acids. This study clearly demonstrates that coherent aromatic acid signals are recorded in polar ice cores that can be used as proxies for past trends in biomass burning.


2016 ◽  
Vol 57 (71) ◽  
pp. 70-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulan Zhang ◽  
Shichang Kang ◽  
Bjorn Grigholm ◽  
Yongjun Zhang ◽  
Susan Kaspari ◽  
...  

AbstractHigh-resolution δ18O records from a Geladaindong mountain ice core spanning the period 1477-1982 were used to investigate past temperature variations in the Yangtze River source region of the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). Annual ice-core δ18O records were positively correlated with temperature data from nearby meteorological stations, suggesting that the δ18O record represented the air temperature in the region. A generally increasing temperature trend over the past 500 years was identified, with amplified warming during the 20th century. A colder stage, spanning before the 1850s, was found to represent the Little Ice Age with colder periods occurring during the 1470s–1500s, 1580s–1660s, 1700s–20s and 1770s–1840s. Compared with other temperature records from the TP and the Northern Hemisphere, the Geladaindong ice-core record suggested that the regional climate of the central TP experienced a stronger warming trend during the 20th century than other regions. In addition, a positive relationship between the Geladaindong δ18O values and the North Atlantic Oscillation index, combined with a wavelet analysis of δ18O records, indicated that there was a potential atmospheric teleconnection between the North Atlantic and the central TP.


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