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A new high-resolution Late Glacial-Holocene climatic record from eastern Nanling Mountains in South China

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Abstract

A 350-cm-long sediment core sequence from Dahu Swamp situated in the eastern Nanling Mountains was selected for high-resolution paleoclimatic reconstruction since the Late Glacial period. The multi-proxy records of this paper reveal several evidently dry and cold events that may coincide with the Oldest Dryas, the Older Dryas, the Younger Dryas in the late deglacial period. Two relatively wetter and warmer phases occurred in ca. 15,000–14,400 cal yr B.P. and 13,500–12,800 cal yr B.P. respectively may correspond to the Bølling and Allerød warming events. The Younger Dryas event (ca. 12,800–11,500 cal yr B.P.) revealed by multi-proxies was characterized by relatively colder and drier climate. A warmer and wetter climate, occurred in ca. 10,000–6000 cal yr B.P., was consistent with the Holocene Optimum, which coincided with the maximum Northern Hemisphere insolation. The “8.2kyr cool event” and even the “8.8kyr cool event” were indicated as well from our sediment core. A dry mid-Holocene period (ca. 6000–3000 cal yr B.P.) indicated by multi-proxies does not follow the traditional concept of the wet mid-Holocene conditions observed in other regions in China.

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Correspondence to Wei Zhong.

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Foundation item: Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40671189), Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (No. 8151063101000044, 06025042), the Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation (No. 91021)

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Xue, J., Zhong, W., Zheng, Y. et al. A new high-resolution Late Glacial-Holocene climatic record from eastern Nanling Mountains in South China. Chin. Geogr. Sci. 19, 274–282 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-009-0274-y

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