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Spatial–temporal differences in climate change at different altitudes, northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau during the Holocene period

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Abstract

The history of climate change and related driving mechanisms of the Gonghe Basin, northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China, was reconstructed in the Holocene epoch, based on the comprehensive analysis of multi-proxies consisting of magnetic susceptibility, grain size, and geochemical elements from eolian and peat deposits at different altitudes. The results indicate that Holocene climate change at different altitudes is both consistent and different: a synchronous record of an increased warm–humid phase (10.0–8.5 ka) and a cold phase around 8.2 ka in the Early Holocene; an optimal warm–humid condition in marginal mountains of the Gonghe Basin in the Mid-Holocene; and a gradual decline in temperature and humidity in the Late Holocene. The Gonghe Basin interior in the Mid-Holocene was relatively arid, with increased moisture in the Late Holocene. On this basis, we compared our results to the paleoclimatic record in the low-latitude Asian monsoonal region, which indicates that, in addition to the Asian summer monsoonal strength having influenced regional climate change, the upward and subsidence motion of airflow over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau induced by topographic conditions, evaporation, and the feedback effect by the substrate was also influential. The latter was especially important for spatial–temporal differences in Middle and Late Holocene climatic changes at different altitudes.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZZD-04-04), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41271215 and 41172153), the Foundation for Excellent Youth Scholars of CAREERI, CAS (51Y451211), Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, CAS (KLDD-2014-011). We thank Dr. Hua Zhao and Zongli Wang for their determination of OSL and 14C ages. We are grateful to the reviewers and editor for their valuable suggestions for improving the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, People’s Republic of China

    Bing Liu, Heling Jin, Liangying Sun, Zhong Sun & Yunfa Miao

  2. School of History and Culture, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, Shanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Zhizhu Su

  3. Key Laboratory of Western China Environmental System (Ministry of Education), Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People’s Republic of China

    Shuang Zhao

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  1. Bing Liu
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  2. Heling Jin
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  3. Liangying Sun
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  4. Zhizhu Su
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  5. Zhong Sun
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  6. Shuang Zhao
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Correspondence to Heling Jin.

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Liu, B., Jin, H., Sun, L. et al. Spatial–temporal differences in climate change at different altitudes, northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau during the Holocene period. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 103, 1699–1710 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-014-1042-5

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