Relationship between the sharp decrease in dust storm frequency over East Asia and the abrupt loss of Arctic sea ice in the early 1980s

Shang, Ke; Liu, Xiaodong

doi:10.1017/s0016756819000967

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Geologic records and numerical modeling demonstrate that expansion of Northern Hemisphere (NH) ice sheets will intensify the strength of the westerly jet and push it southward ( 29 , 30 ). These changes in the westerly jet can impact the MLA and Chinese Loess Plateau ( 26 , 31 ) by enhancing the persistent stationary wave of the westerlies along the northern rim of the Tibetan Plateau and drying the region ( 9 , 10 ) leading to intensified dust storm activity ( 26 , 31 ). Thus, the proxy indices of dust grain size and flux can also partially reflect the variations in high-latitude NH ice volume.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The 3.6-Ma aridity and westerlies history over midlatitude Asia linked with global climatic cooling

Fang

Clemens

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Midlatitude Asia (MLA), strongly influenced by westerlies-controlled climate, is a key source of global atmospheric dust, and plays a significant role in Earth’s climate system . However, it remains unclear how the westerlies, MLA aridity, and dust flux from this region evolved over time. Here, we report a unique high-resolution eolian dust record covering the past 3.6 Ma, retrieved from the thickest loess borehole sequence (671 m) recovered to date, at the southern margin of the Taklimakan desert in the MLA interior. The results show that eolian dust accumulation, which is closely related to aridity and the westerlies, indicates existence of a dry climate, desert area, and stable land surface, promoting continuous loess deposition since at least ∼3.6 Ma. This region experienced long-term stepwise drying at ∼2.7, 1.1, and 0.5 Ma, coeval with a dominant periodicity shift from 41-ka cyclicity to 100-ka cyclicity between 1.1 Ma and 0.5 Ma. These features match well with global ice volume variability both in the time and frequency domains (including the Mid-Pleistocene Transition), highlighting global cooling-forced aridity and westerlies climate changes on these timescales. Numerical modeling demonstrates that global cooling can dry MLA and intensify the westerlies, which facilitates dust emission and transport, providing an interpretive framework. Increased dust may have promoted positive feedbacks (e.g., decreasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations and modulating radiation budgets), contributing to further cooling. Unraveling the long-term evolution of MLA aridity and westerlies climate is an indispensable component of the unfolding mystery of global climate change.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The 3.6-Ma aridity and westerlies history over midlatitude Asia linked with global climatic cooling

Fang

Clemens

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Sea‐ice cover is potentially more sensitive than the Greenland ice core δ 18 O to changes in polar temperature (Deplazes et al., 2013; Olonscheck et al., 2019), which significantly influence the intensity of the SH and near‐surface winds in the Tacheng Basin (Zhang et al., 2006). Modern observations indicate that the loss of sea ice in the preceding winter results in decelerated wind speed in spring over most of Asia, including the Tacheng Basin (Li, Song, et al., 2019; Shang & Liu, 2019; Zhang et al., 2006), on the decadal time scales. In contrast, the EASM is closely related to the location of the ITCZ (Cheng et al., 2016), which is also influenced by temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere (Liang et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variations of the Intensity of the Siberian High During the Last Glacial Revealed by the Sorting Coefficient of Loess‐Paleosol Deposits in Eastern Central Asia

Cheng

Song

Yang

et al. 2022

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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Eastern Central Asia has an arid environment and experiences frequent dust storms. Modern observations indicate that the dust storm frequency in eastern Central Asia is modulated mainly by the intensity of the Siberian High (SH). However, a lack of knowledge about the process influencing the variation of the SH limits our ability to understand the genesis of dust storms and their predictions. In this study, we present data on heavy mineral assemblages and sediment grain size in a loess section in eastern Central Asia, spanning the last glacial. Combined with previously published results, we propose that the sorting coefficient in loess‐paleosol sequences is a more sensitive proxy for wind intensity—and thus for the intensity of the SH—than the commonly used proxies of the mean grain size and grain size fractions, which are also influenced by changes in dust source and vegetation cover. Our sorting coefficient series clearly reveals Heinrich events, as well as the prominent ∼5 kyr Bond cycle. Larger sorting coefficients correspond to more depleted Sanbao Cave stalagmite δ18O values, revealing an antiphase relationship between the intensity of the SH and the East Asian Summer Monsoon during the last glacial. The sorting coefficient series also support the significant influence of Arctic sea‐ice cover on the intensity of the SH.

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“…However, the dominant factors that lead to abrupt changes of dust storm frequency on decadal timescale are not fully understood. Shang & Liu (2020, this issue) examine the spatial and temporal variations of East Asian dust storm frequency and Arctic sea-ice concentration during 1961–2015 and their possible links. Their results show that the spring dust storm frequency is highly correlated with the preceding winter Arctic sea-ice concentration and both of them experienced a remarkable fluctuating decrease in the past half-century.…”

Section: Modern Asian Dust From Land To Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

Asian dust from land to sea: processes, history and effect from modern observation to geological records

2020

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Production, transport and deposition of aeolian dust from land to sea closely interact with regional environment and global climate. This Special Issue addresses transport of aeolian dust from the Asian inland to the Loess Plateau and North Pacific Ocean and their possible links to oceanic ecosystem, global climate and even human activity, over various timescales. The papers in this volume are multidisciplinary in nature and include sedimentology, mineralogy, geochemistry, environmental magnetism and climate modelling on multi-timescales from interannual, glacial–interglacial to tectonic timescales. Based on modern observation, geological records and modelling, this Special Issue offers new insights especially into aeolian provenance, dynamics controls on dust production, a novel marine aeolian proxy, as well as long-term aeolian input to the marginal basins of NE Asia and its influence on oceanic productivity. This issue provides a good example for future comprehensive studies of source-to-sink processes of Asian dust from land to sea.

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Relationship between the sharp decrease in dust storm frequency over East Asia and the abrupt loss of Arctic sea ice in the early 1980s

Cited by 8 publications

References 55 publications

The 3.6-Ma aridity and westerlies history over midlatitude Asia linked with global climatic cooling

The 3.6-Ma aridity and westerlies history over midlatitude Asia linked with global climatic cooling

Variations of the Intensity of the Siberian High During the Last Glacial Revealed by the Sorting Coefficient of Loess‐Paleosol Deposits in Eastern Central Asia

Asian dust from land to sea: processes, history and effect from modern observation to geological records

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