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Asian monsoon variations revealed from stable isotopes in precipitation

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Abstract

To further our understanding of the Asian monsoon system, particularly the onset dates of monsoon sub-systems over their respective East Asian domains, we present an 8-year (2007–2014) dataset of oxygen isotopes of precipitation (δ18Op) from three stations, Lulang and Nuxia in southeastern Tibetan Plateau (SETP) and Guangzhou in southeastern coastal China (SECN). The general agreement between isotopically identified monsoon onset dates with those identified by the meridional temperature gradient suggests that the initially sustained isotopic depletion is sensitive to the evolving thermal contrast between the Eurasian continent and the Indian Ocean. The 850 hPa meridional wind over nearby oceans is an efficient bridge linking isotopic variations in both regions with their respective monsoon sub-systems. The intensity of the South Asian High and tropical cyclone frequencies show stronger effects on isotopic depletion in the SECN than in the SETP and on monsoon onset timing over the South China Sea. Tibetan Plateau snow cover anomalies are significantly correlated with δ18Op in both regions on monthly timescales.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 41571074), the “International S&T Cooperation Program of China” (Grant No. 2015DFG22720) and the “Key Research Programs in Frontier Sciences” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. QYZDY-SSW-DQC003). The isotopic data in daily precipitation and corresponding amount used in this study are available at the Third Pole Environment Database (http://en.tpedatabase.cn/portal/index.jsp). X.Yang acknowledges the support of China Scholarship Council for the stay at Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, the OSU, and appreciates the staffs at the field observation stations for their cooperation in precipitation sampling and record-keeping.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Xiaoxin Yang, Sunil Acharya & Tandong Yao

  2. Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, CAS, Beijing, China

    Xiaoxin Yang & Tandong Yao

  3. Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Mary E. Davis

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Sunil Acharya

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  1. Xiaoxin Yang
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Correspondence to Xiaoxin Yang.

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Yang, X., Davis, M.E., Acharya, S. et al. Asian monsoon variations revealed from stable isotopes in precipitation. Clim Dyn 51, 2267–2283 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-017-4011-4

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