Environmental evolution of Xingkai (Khanka) Lake since 200 ka by OSL dating of sand hills

Abstract

Crossing the Sino-Russian boundary, Xingkai Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast Asia. In addition to the lakeshore, there are four sand hills on the north side of the lake that accumulated during a period of sustainable and stable lacustrine transgression and were preserved after depression. Analysis of well-dated stratigraphic sequences based on 18 OSL datings combined with multiple index analysis of six sites in the sand hills revealed that the north shoreline of Xingkai Lake retreated in a stepwise fashion since the middle Pleistocene, and that at least four transgressions (during 193-183 ka, 136-130 ka, 24-15 ka and since 3 ka) and three depressions occurred during this process. The results of this study confirmed that transgressive stages were concurrent with epochs of climate cooling, whereas the period of regression corresponded to the climatic optima. Transgressions and regressions were primarily caused by variations in the intensity of alluvial accumulation in the Ussuri River Valley and fluctuations in regional temperature and humidity that were controlled by climatic change. Moreover, one obvious transgressive process that occurred in MIS3 may have been related to enhanced precipitation that was reportedly widespread in the west of China, while short-term fluctuations in the lake level might well be a direct response to regional precipitation variations on the millennial scale.

Earth Surface Processes and Environmental Changes in East Asia

“…For the first time, the OSL method is used to constrain this history of lake regression since the late Pleistocene. Current research on Lake Xingkai focuses on the evolution of the shoreline and palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment change since the Holocene (Zhu et al 2011;Zhang et al , 2007Bazarovaa et al 2008;). The four lines of sand hills stretching parallel to the lake shore were found to be formed by aeolian quartz derived grains from the sand beach.…”

“…The frostless period lasts for 149 d, and the frozen period lasts for 135 d. South-westerly winds prevail in the spring and summer seasons, whereas north-westerly winds prevail in the fall and winter seasons (Zhu et al 2011;. Because of the influence of the temperate humid continental monsoon climate, the annual mean temperature of the lake region is 2.9-3.1 ı C. The mean temperature of the coldest month, January, is approximately 18 ı C, and the mean temperature of the hottest month, July, is 21 ı C. The annual precipitation of the lake region is 554-690 mm, and the annual evaporation is approximately 490 mm.…”

A lacustrine record of East Asian summer monsoon and atmospheric dust loading since the last interglaciation from Lake Xingkai, northeast China

“…Lake level variation history could also be reconstructed through beach ridges (Thomas et al, 2009; Rades et al, 2013). Based on the characteristics of the grain-size distribution, the ridges around Lake Xingkai are aeolian, not wave-built or lacustrine sedimentary formations, and the age of the ridges can be used as an indicator of regressional periods (Zhu et al, 2011; Long and Shen, 2017). New ages for the sandy ridges around Lake Xingkai suggests that a distinct period of lake lowstand occurred at ~32–15 ka (Long and Shen, 2017).…”

“…It is the only site chosen in northeast Asia for lake drilling in the Past Global Changes (PAGES) Pole-Equator-Pole program due to its critical location (Williams et al, 2001). During the past decade, the paleoenvironment and lake evolution have been reconstructed based on multi-proxy data from Lake Xingkai sediments and the formation of the surrounding sandy ridges (Wu and Shen, 2009, 2010a, 2010b; Zhu et al, 2011; Long and Shen, 2017). However, the 30 ka sedimentary record is at, or just over, the limits of obtaining reliable radiocarbon ages.…”

“…Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14 C dates have been verified by an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating study of Lake Xingkai sediments (Pigati et al, 2007; Long et al, 2015). In addition, the patterns of paleoclimate inferred from the surrounding sandy ridges are inconsistent (Zhu et al, 2011; Long and Shen, 2017).…”