Late Quaternary palaeolake levels in Tengger Desert, NW China

Zhang, H.C; Peng, Jinlan; Ma, Yongjing; Chen, Guangjie; Feng, Zhantao; Li, B; Fan, Hailong; Chang, Fengqin; Lei, Guoliang; Wünnemann, Bernd

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2004.04.006

Cited by 157 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Previous work has identified many shorelines and terraces in the Alxa Plateau, such as those at Zhuye Lake [4][5][6], Juyan Lake [32,33] and Jilantai Lake [1,2]. This work has confirmed and enhanced the previously published paleolake shorelines and terraces ( Figure 2).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 85%

“…14 C results of the highest terrace of the eastern end of the Juyan Lake (located in the northwest Badan Jaran Desert) indicate that the lake levels were maximal about 33 ka BP [20]. In terms of when peak lake levels occurred, the results of these studies [4,6,20] are consistent with those of Li [14]. But in the Ulan Buh Desert, OSL data show that maximal Jilantai lake level occurred at least 50-60 ka ago.…”

mentioning

confidence: 53%

“…Many studies have reported high lake levels in different regions of China during the Late Quaternary; for example, the Hexi Corridor and Alxa Plateau [1][2][3][4][5][6][7], Xinjiang [8,9], and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. These studies prove that lake levels were at their highest in northwest China during the late Pleistocene.…”

mentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Stratigraphic correlations and chronological evidence derived from 14 C indicate that the paleo-lakes started to develop around 42 ka BP to 37 ka BP, with the highest lake levels formed around 35 ka BP, and were maintained until about 22 ka BP [4,6]. 14 C results of the highest terrace of the eastern end of the Juyan Lake (located in the northwest Badan Jaran Desert) indicate that the lake levels were maximal about 33 ka BP [20].…”

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confidence: 99%

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High lake levels on Alxa Plateau during the Late Quaternary

Wang

Cheng

et al. 2011

Chin. Sci. Bull.

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Field investigations including lake shoreline measurement and 14 C chronology have been carried out on the Alxa Plateau to better understand the formation and evolution of the high lake levels in northwest China during the late Pleistocene. Comprehensive field investigations show that there are at least ten shorelines at different elevations at Juyan Lake, at least four on the northwest side of the Jilantai Salt Lake, and nine shorelines and one terrace on the northeast margin of Zhuye Lake. Stratigraphic correlations and chronological evidence indicate that the paleo-lakes have the highest lake levels in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. Though the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) results which have been reported by some scholars do not support this view, the fact that the paleo-lakes have the highest lake levels in MIS 3 can not be denied. Differences between OSL and 14 C results from this work might indicate that high lake levels existed on the Alxa Plateau during two different periods. It also suggests that the high lake levels may exist in both MIS 5 and early MIS 3. This paper also provides the basic hydrological information for further water resources research in this arid region. Alxa Plateau, desert, MIS 3, MIS 5, high lake levels, late Quaternary Citation:Wang N A, Li Z L, Cheng H Y, et al. High lake levels on Alxa Plateau during the Late Quaternary.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 85%

mentioning

confidence: 53%

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confidence: 81%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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High lake levels on Alxa Plateau during the Late Quaternary

Wang

Cheng

et al. 2011

Chin. Sci. Bull.

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“…However, these characterizations have recently been challenged by data obtained from optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and uranium series dating data, which are in obvious contrast with the above radiocarbon data [7,8]. For example, sediment from the same lacustrine facies in the Tengger Desert (to the northeast of the Tibetan Plateau) date back to 25-40 ka BP [9,10] according to radiocarbon dating, but OSL dating indicated that they were from 70-130 ka (MIS 5) [8]. A similar scenario was also indicated by other published data [11][12][13], which suggests that the disagreement between the two dating methods might have been caused by the weakness of radiocarbon dating for samples older than 35 ka BP.…”

Section: Alpine Lakes In the Frigid Tibetan Plateaumentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal variations of Chinese lakes and their driving mechanisms since the Last Glacial Maximum: A review and synthesis of lacustrine sediment archives

Shen

2012

Chin. Sci. Bull.

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In this article, the author provides the first synthesis and classification of available environment-indicating proxies for lacustrine sediment. A review of spatio-temporal variations in lakes from the Tibetan Plateau, the dry areas of Northwestern China, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the plains of Eastern China since the LGM is then provided. The driving mechanism for variations in lake processes and characteristics is also discussed based on various temporal scales. The author then proposes that future investigations be conducted to: (1) strengthen the study of theoretics and interpretation of environment-indicating proxies, (2) enhance the study of high-resolution time series and spatial variability of lake environment evolution, (3) provide more attention on the influence of human activities on lake environments, and (4) boost construction of the Quaternary lake database of China. Lakes are normally formed under various geological and geographical backgrounds. As a component of the terrestrial hydrosphere, lakes have close relationships with the atmosphere, biosphere and lithosphere, and serve as the connection between these systems. Once a lake is formed, it is influenced by a series of tectonic, climatic and anthropogenic factors. As a result, lacustrine evolutional processes usually involve geological, physical, chemical and biological processes and the interactions between them, and these processes are all documented by lacustrine sediment archives. Because lakes are widely distributed worldwide and normally undergo a long history of evolution, lacustrine sediment generally possesses a continuous record with highresolutions that provides abundant information regarding regional environmental and climatic variations that can be used in global change studies. Lacustrine sediment also contains information pertaining to human activities, since people tend to settle around lakes owing to the resources they provide. Synthesis and classification of proxies in lacustrine sediment describing environmental conditionsLakes generally have an independent watershed that serves as a source of water, sediment, biomass and chemicals, while the lake serves as a sink for all of these materials. Accordingly, lacustrine sediment can record all information regarding the source-sink interactions and mass balances including water balances (watershed rainfall and lake level stands), sediment balances (watershed erosion intensity and lake sedimentation rate), biological balances (watershed vegetation and lake biomass) and chemical balances (watershed soluble materials and lake water ion concentrations) [1].

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Underlying causes of Eurasian midcontinental aridity in simulations of mid‐Holocene climate

Bartlein

Harrison

Izumi

2017

Geophysical Research Letters

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Climate model simulations uniformly show drier and warmer summers in the Eurasian midcontinent during the mid‐Holocene, which is not consistent with paleoenvironmental observations. The simulated climate results from a reduction in the zonal temperature gradient, which weakens westerly flow and reduces moisture flux and precipitation in the midcontinent. As a result, sensible heating is favored over evaporation and latent heating, resulting in substantial surface‐driven atmospheric warming. Thus, the discrepancy with the paleoenvironmental evidence arises initially from a problem in the simulated circulation and is exacerbated by feedback from the land surface. This region is also drier and warmer than indicated by observations in the preindustrial control simulations, and this bias arises in the same way: zonal flow and hence moisture flux into the midcontinent are too weak, and feedback from the land surface results in surface‐driven warming. These analyses suggest the need to improve those aspects of climate models that affect the strength of westerly circulation.

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Late Quaternary palaeolake levels in Tengger Desert, NW China

Cited by 157 publications

References 22 publications

High lake levels on Alxa Plateau during the Late Quaternary

High lake levels on Alxa Plateau during the Late Quaternary

Spatiotemporal variations of Chinese lakes and their driving mechanisms since the Last Glacial Maximum: A review and synthesis of lacustrine sediment archives

Underlying causes of Eurasian midcontinental aridity in simulations of mid‐Holocene climate

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