Abrupt Contraction of the Indo‐East Asian Monsoons Ended the Holocene Humid Period

Abstract

However, the magnitude and rates of expansion and contraction of the monsoons during the HHP remain an observational and modeling shortcoming. The observational challenge is constituted by the scarcity of robust, first order hydrological reconstructions (Hudson & Quade, 2013). The modeling challenge is the inability of climate models to successfully reconstruct the magnitude and spatial extent of observed hydrological changes, indicating that substantial feedbacks are still missing in these models (e.g.,

Microcharcoals Reveal More Grass Than Trees During the Mid‐Holocene Optimum on the Chinese Loess Plateau

“…In addition, the expansion of C4 plants, mainly warm‐season grasses, across the Loess Plateau during the mid‐Holocene reflects the prevalent grass community (Sun et al., 2015; Yao et al., 2011). The strengthening of the East Asian summer monsoon in this period led to a minimum 300‐km northwestward migration of the monsoon rain belt, covering most of the Loess Plateau (Cheng et al., 2021; Goldsmith et al., 2022; Xue et al., 2001; S. Yang et al., 2015). The evidence above supports the development of grasslands rather than forests during that time.…”