“Medieval Warm Period” on the northern slope of central Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, NW China

Abstract

“Medieval Warm Period” is used to describe a past climate epochs in Europe and neighboring regions from the ninth to the fourteenth centuries. In order to discuss the palaeoclimate changes during the MWP on the northern slope of central Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, northwestern China, three Holocene sediment profiles in Daxigou region, Caotan Lake and Sichang Lake located in different elevations and vegetation zones were chosen for further discussion. A multi‐proxy reconstruction of the climate change in these three profiles using pollen, phytolith records, and the data of loss of ignition (LOI), grain size, and susceptibility showed that the climate was humid during the period corresponded in time with the MWP (from the middle of the Tang Dynasty to the middle of Yuan Dynasty). Complemented by tree‐ring record, other pollen records, data of plant seeds and historical documents; we conclude that during the MWP the climate was humid on the north slopes of Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang.

Anthropogenic and climatic impacts on surface pollen assemblages along a precipitation gradient in north‐eastern China

“…Pollen and phytolith records of a 175‐cm peat profile (44°25.06′ N, 86°01.26′ E) at Caotan Lake, northern Xinjiang, north‐eastern China showed that the climate was characterized by alternate periods of wet and dry conditions since 2500 cal yr bp , but the A/C pollen ratios continued to decrease. The continued decrease of A/C was not linked to climatic drying but probably reflected human disturbance at Caotan Lake (Zhang et al. , 2009).…”

Climatic variability in Central Indian Himalaya during the last ∼1800 years: Evidence from a high resolution speleothem record

“…This record revealed warm conditions from 800 to 1400 AD (including Medieval Warm Period between 800 and 1100 AD). Therefore, the so-called MWP is manifestly diverse in different regions, and the climate may have varied in time and space during this period, as has been pointed out by Zhang et al (2009) especially in the Tibetan Plateau and Xinjiang region. However, despite such variations in MWP, it is a major climate anomaly, which provides useful palaeoclimatic information.…”

“…Chen et al (2006) examined the pollen and carbonate content of sediments from Bosten Lake, and concluded that the MWP was dry in south of Xinjiang (China). Zhang et al (2009) proposed a humid climate in north Xinjiang. In a comprehensive study, Yang et al (2002) used nine separate proxy climate records derived from peat, lake sediment, ice core and tree ring and other sources to compile a single weighted temperature history for all of China spanning the past two millennia.…”

Temperature variability in China in an ensemble simulation for the last 1,200 years

“…Data in the western part of China and on the Tibetan plateau are documented by Ge et al (2006), Holmes et al (2009), andZhang et al (2009). Ge et al (2003) and Zhang et al (2008) derived the winter temperature in eastern China with emphasis on the Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze catchments.…”