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Quaternary Westerlies and Monsoon Interaction in Asia

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A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Climatology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (2 February 2023) | Viewed by 8296

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yougui Song

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology (SKLLQG), Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IEECAS), CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yanta, Xi’an 710061, China
Interests: loess; dust sources; paleoclimate; Cenozoic geology; physical geography; paleomagnetism; mineralogy; geochemistry; geochronology; Central Asia; Chinese Loess Plateau; Tibetan Plateau
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Shengli Yang

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Guest Editor

Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
Interests: monsoon; climate change; quaternary geology; geochronology; paleoclimatology; physical geography; luminescence dating

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Two atmospheric circulation systems, the mid-latitude westerlies and Asian monsoons, play key roles in climatic changes in the Northern Hemisphere. Increased examination of the palaeoclimate records over the past few decades has helped us to understand the history of and variability in the Asian monsoonal climate and its relationship with global changes. The records have revealed that precipitation/moisture variations between westerlies-dominated arid Central Asia and the East Asian monsoonal area are out-of-phase or anti-phased on different timescales during the Holocene. However, interaction regarding interregional atmospheric circulation between mid-latitude westerlies and Asian monsoon circulation during the Quaternary is still a controversial topic. For this Special Issue, we seek articles regarding the state-of-the-art research advancements in Quaternary paleoclimate changes on orbital to millennial timescales in Asia. These can be based on various geological and paleontological records such as eolian sediments (loess, red earth, etc.), lacustrine, stalagmite, peat, snails, sporopollen, ice core, marine records and Quaternary dating methods. The research topics of interest are as follows:

Climate change concerning westerlies in Central Asia;
Aridification history in Inner Asia;
Dust sources and atmosphere circulation;
East Asian monsoon and Indian monsoon climate change;
Westerlies–monsoon interaction in the Asian-Pacific area;
Driving mechanisms of Quaternary climate change;
Numerical simulations on the effects of different external forces on Asian westerlies–monsoonal climate;
Quaternary dating methods.

We are looking forward to receiving manuscripts that consider the above.

Prof. Dr. Yougui Song
Prof. Dr. Shengli Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

paleoclimatology
pleistocene
mid-latitude westerlies
east asian monsoon
indian monsoon
glacial–interglacial cycle
climate abrupt event
central asia
absolute dating
dust sources

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 2555 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sensitive Grain-Size Components of Last Glacial Loess on Chinese Loess Plateau and Their Response to East Asian Winter Monsoon

by Qiansuo Wang, Yougui Song, Linqiong Duan and Jinchan Li

Atmosphere 2023, 14(2), 304; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos14020304 - 3 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1101

Abstract

Chinese loess provides the most detailed terrestrial records of paleoclimate changes. We employed the grain-size components of aeolian sediments to reconstruct the history of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). Here, using the grain-size class vs. standard deviation method, we extracted the environmentally sensitive grain-size components of nine last glacial loess sections. The grain-size class vs. standard deviation diagrams showed two major grain-size components (fine and coarse), which varied from section to section. Material resource distances and post-depositional pedogenesis were the main factors affecting environmentally sensitive grain-size components. The coarse grain-size components of the Yulin, Baicaoyuan, Xifeng, and Luochuan sections were influenced by the transportation distance, while we attributed the fine grain-size components of the Weinan, Shaoling, Duanjiapo, and Chaona sections to pedogenesis. At the same time, the Mianchi section’s sensitive grain-size component was also coarse, and was affected by the local circulation from the nearby Yellow River terrace. Our comparison of sensitive grain-size components and EAWM revealed that the coarse grain-size components were progressively finer along with the EAWM from the northwest to the southeast on the CLP, and they can be regarded as the most suitable proxy indicator of the EAWM on the CLP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Westerlies and Monsoon Interaction in Asia)

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15 pages, 3150 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Westerly Variations in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau since the Last Interglacial Revealed by the Grain-Size Records of the Ganzi Loess

by Shengli Yang, Jiantao Zhou, Zixuan Chen, Pushuang Li, Chen Wen, Xuechao Xu and Qiong Li

Atmosphere 2023, 14(2), 238; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos14020238 - 25 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1384

Abstract

The westerlies play an important role in driving climate change in the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, little is known about the history of the westerlies in the TP owing to limited observations and a lack of robust reconstructions. The widely distributed eolian loess in the eastern TP is one of the ideal materials to retrieve the intensity history for the westerlies. A detailed grain-size and endmember model analysis (EMMA) on the Ganzi loess sequence located in the eastern TP revealed that the EMMA decomposed the loess grain-size components into four endmembers: EM1 (modal size 1.42 μm) is related to pedogenesis, and EM2 (modal size 7.10 μm) is transported by the westerlies. Silt modes (EM3 and EM4) are transported by the TP winter monsoon or near-surface airflows. The mass accumulation rate (MAR) of EM2 indicated the westerly variations. Combined with the MAR, we reconstructed the history of westerly intensity since the last interglacial period from the Ganzi loess sequence. We found that the intensity of the westerlies showed typical glacial/interglacial variations since the last interglacial period in the eastern TP. The westerly intensity was strong with large fluctuations during the glacial period, whereas it was weak and stable during the Holocene and the last interglacial. The temperature gradient between high and low latitudes caused by changes in insolation and ice volume in the northern hemisphere were the dominant forcing mechanisms for the westerly intensity variations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Westerlies and Monsoon Interaction in Asia)

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14 pages, 5804 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Grain Size Characteristics of MIS 5 Sediments and Evolution of the East Asian Summer Monsoon in the Zhifu Section, Yantai City, Shandong Province, China

by Li Sun, Zhiwen Li, Yougui Song, Hongyi Zhou, Qingbin Fan, Wubiao Li and Ni Tang

Atmosphere 2023, 14(1), 153; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos14010153 - 10 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1577

Abstract

The North Yellow Sea, located at the intersection of the Eurasian continent and North Pacific Ocean at mid-latitudes, is a sensitive area subjected to the joint actions of the ocean, land, and monsoons. On its southern shore, loess and paleosol sedimentary sequences were widely developed during the last interglacial period, which is of great significance for revealing patterns of climate change and dynamic conditions. In this paper, we focus on the Zhifu section (ZFS) on Zhifu Island within the Shandong Province of China. The optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating method was used to construct our chronological framework. Grain size and its endmember (EM) components were then analyzed; EM1 is a clay component EM, which represents a weak dynamic environment and strong weathering pedogenesis, while EM2 and EM3 are silt and very fine sand component EMs, respectively, representing a strong dynamic environment and weak weathering pedogenesis. Maximum EM1, mean grain size, clay content, and pH values occur in the paleosol layers (ZF4, ZF6, and ZF8), with minimum values in the loess layers (ZF5 and ZF7); EM3 values show the opposite pattern. This indicates that the ZF4, ZF6, and ZF8 layers represent warm and humid environments with abundant precipitation, where the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) was enhanced, corresponding to Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 5a, 5c, and 5e. In contrast, ZF5 and ZF7 represent sub-warm and humid environments with less precipitation, where the EASM was weakened, corresponding to MIS 5b and 5d. Among these stages, MIS5e is the warmest and wettest. These climatic events reveal the pattern of climate fluctuation over a ten-thousand-year timescale; they are synchronous with climate changes recorded in other geological repositories, such as cave stalagmites in southern China and sea-level fluctuations in the Yellow-Bohai Sea, which result from changes in global solar radiation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Westerlies and Monsoon Interaction in Asia)

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18 pages, 5780 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effective Moisture Evolution since the Last Glacial Maximum Revealed by a Loess Record from the Westerlies-Dominated Ili Basin, NW China

by Yudong Li, Yue Li, Yougui Song, Haoru Wei, Yanping Wang and Nosir Shukurov

Atmosphere 2022, 13(11), 1931; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13111931 - 19 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1878

Abstract

Moisture variation is extremely relevant for the stability of ecosystems in Central Asia (CA). Therefore, moisture evolution and its potential driving mechanism over the region are always a hot research topic. Although much effort has been devoted to understanding the processes of moisture evolutions in CA during the Quaternary, particularly the Holocene, the associated underlying mechanisms remain in a state of persistent debate. In this study, the granulometry, clay mineral and chroma properties of a loess section (named ZSP section) in the westerlies-dominated Ili Basin, NW China are investigated. With the accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating (AMS ¹⁴C)-based Bayesian age–depth model, we provide a sensitive record of effective moisture evolution since the last glacial maximum (LGM) in the basin, and the results help enhance understanding of the possible driving mechanisms for westerly climate change. Comparisons of clay mineralogy indices shows that the study area is involved in the Northern Hemisphere dust cycle processes as a dust source, and the content of <2 μm grain size fraction in the ZSP section can thereby be used to reflect the westerlies’ intensity. After deducting the complicated influencing factors for lightness changes throughout the section, the calibrated lightness is adopted to indicate the regional effective moisture. Our findings show that effective moisture is relatively abundant during the LGM and the middle–late Holocene, with dry climate conditions during the last deglaciation and early Holocene. We argue that westerlies’ intensity was the main factor for driving the effective moisture evolution in the Ili Basin since the LGM. Local and source evaporation intensity and effective intra-annual control time of the westerlies over the study area exerted a minor influence on the moisture changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Westerlies and Monsoon Interaction in Asia)

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Review

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17 pages, 2798 KiB

Open AccessReview

Spatial Distribution, Material Composition and Provenance of Loess in Xinjiang, China: Progress and Challenges

by Akemu Saimaiti, Chaofeng Fu, Yougui Song and Nosir Shukurov

Atmosphere 2022, 13(11), 1790; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos13111790 - 29 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1536

Abstract

The loess in the arid area of Xinjiang is located at the eastern end of the Central Asia Loess Belt, and paleoclimate research about it is of great importance for understanding the mechanism of interaction of the Eurasian Westerly monsoon system and the aridity of Central Asia. This review focuses on recent progress concerning the spatial distribution, material composition and provenance of loess in Xinjiang and points out the shortcomings of and challenges to provenance and dust circulation. Field investigation and previous studies indicate that loess sediments have been mainly distributed on the river terraces and windward piedmont of the Tianshan Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains since the late Pliocene (mainly late Pleistocene). Grain size and age data show that Xinjiang loess deposits at some locations are rapid and discontinuous or sedimentary hiatus. The Siberian High system largely controlled dust mobilization and loess accumulation in northern Xinjiang but not southern Xinjiang. In southern Central Asia, the intensity of dust activity may be determined by the Caspian Sea–Hindu Kush Index (CasHKI) and local circulation. However, there is not enough evidence that the CasHKI index can affect the Tarim Basin area. Consequently, ascertaining the driving mechanism of mid-latitude Westerly winds and the dynamic process of loess deposition in Xinjiang is a specific suggestion for critical future research. Many indicators have shown that the loess dust sources in Xinjiang are composed of mainly proximal materials plus some remote materials. Alluvial plains and local proluvial fans contributed more to loess deposition, while Central Asian deserts comprise a small proportion of loess deposition in northern Xinjiang. In future provenance research, new technologies and new methods should be continuously tested to facilitate an objective understanding of the provenance of the loess in Xinjiang. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quaternary Westerlies and Monsoon Interaction in Asia)

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