Test stable carbon isotopic composition of soil organic matters as a proxy indicator of past precipitation: Study of the sand fields in northern China

Chen, Yingyong; Lu, Huayu; Zhang, Enlou; Zhang, Hongyan; Xu, Zhiwei; Yi, Su; Wu, Shuangye

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.10.062

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 52 publications

(49 reference statements)

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“…Under higher temperatures and increasing aridity, C 4 plants are more competitive than C 3 plants (Silva et al, 2011; Rao et al, 2017). In monsoonal Asia, mid‐ to late Holocene climate deterioration has been evidenced not only by aeolian sediments (e.g., Lu et al, 2013) and stalagmite data (e.g., Hu et al, 2008; Dong et al, 2010; Wu et al, 2011) but also by lacustrine (e.g., Chen, Xu, et al, 2015; Fan et al, 2016) and peat records (e.g., Li, Chambers, et al, 2017). In the present study, it appears that the weakening EASM intensity first caused a decrease in the regional precipitation that resulted in the shortage of available soil water (Yang et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuous aridification since the mid‐Holocene as the main cause of C₃/C₄ dynamics in the grasslands of northeastern China

Xie

Sack

et al. 2020

European J Soil Science

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Ecological responses to past climate change as determined from palaeorecords offer insights into responses that may accompany future climate change. In arid and semi‐arid lands, the interactions between regional vegetation and climate change are not yet well understood, partly due to a lack of suitable palaeovegetation proxies that can provide accurate and continuous tracers for past vegetation dynamics. To gain a better understanding of long‐term vegetation dynamics, this study employs a multiproxy approach applied to sand‐palaeosol sediments of northeastern China's Songnen grasslands. Phytolith analyses and data on the stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of organic matter are used to reconstruct palaeovegetation composition, namely, the changing abundance of C3 and C4 species, whereas a geochemical weathering index (Fed/Fet ratios) tracks past East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) intensity. The phytolith assemblages and indices and δ13C of the soil indicate that C4 species' abundance has been increasing in the Songnen grasslands since the mid‐Holocene, although C3 vegetation is still dominant. Statistically significant negative correlations between the δ13C data and Fet/Fed ratios suggest that continuous weakening of the EASM since the mid‐Holocene may be responsible for the 13C‐enrichment of the sediments in the Songnen grasslands. Field vegetation surveys, modern topsoil phytoliths and δ13C calibration data indicate that the expansion of C4 species since the mid‐Holocene is mainly due to their ability to cope with aridity when growing season temperature is not undergoing a significant decrease. Future precipitation decreases in arid and semi‐arid lands should make C4 species more competitive in the grasslands of northeastern China. Highlights A continuous grassland landscape history is reconstructed from a sand‐palaeosol sequence via phytolith analysis. Multiple independent approaches were used to reconstruct past EASM intensity and palaeovegetation patterns. Phytolith and δ13C analyses indicate an increase in C4 species since the mid‐Holocene. Aridification drives the increase in C4 species within the grassland ecosystem.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuous aridification since the mid‐Holocene as the main cause of C₃/C₄ dynamics in the grasslands of northeastern China

Xie

Sack

et al. 2020

European J Soil Science

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“…A recent study also demonstrated that the modern natural ecosystem in NE Iran is dominated by C 3 plants and that the surface soil δ 13 C org values are strongly negatively correlated with MAP ( R 2 = 0.4419, p < 0.001; Wang, Wang, et al, 2019). Therefore, the δ 13 C org values of loess‐paleosol sequences in NE Iran have substantial potential for use as a proxy indicator of past precipitation (Chen et al, ; Rao et al, ; Wang, Wang, et al, 2019). The variations of the loess δ 13 C org values of the YE profile suggest a dry early Holocene (~11.8–7.4 ka), with more positive and nearly constant values, followed by a persistent wetting trend since the mid‐Holocene (~7.4 ka), with gradually decreasing values (Figures d and b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene Moisture Variations in Western Arid Central Asia Inferred From Loess Records From NE Iran

Wang

Wei

Khormali

et al. 2020

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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Holocene variations in precipitation in central and eastern arid central Asia (ACA) have been widely investigated, but the pattern in western ACA remains unclear. We present records of the stable carbon isotope composition of bulk organic matter (δ13Corg), magnetic parameters, and sediment color, from five loess‐paleosol sequences in NE Iran, in western ACA, with the aim of reconstructing Holocene precipitation. The Yellibadragh (YE) section (the thickest among the five sequences) was selected for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of the coarse‐grained quartz (63–90 μm) fraction, and its δ13Corg record was used to quantitatively reconstruct mean annual precipitation (MAP). The record indicates a dry early Holocene (~11.8–7.4 ka), with nearly constant MAP (~93 mm), followed by a wetting trend from the mid‐Holocene (~7.4 ka) onward, with the wettest period in the late Holocene (~4.0–0.0 ka, ~390 mm). The stratigraphic observations and environmental proxies support the reconstruction. The other loess profiles show stratigraphic features and trends of environmental proxies, which are similar to those of the YE profile. A dry early Holocene and wetting trend since the mid‐Holocene, with the wettest climate in the late Holocene in NE Iran, are both consistent with records from sand dunes and lake sediments from adjacent areas, and with loess records from central and eastern ACA. Comparison with loess records from monsoonal Asia supports the interpretation of a “westerly‐dominated climatic regime,” which was proposed mainly on the basis of lake sediment records from the region. Changes in solar insolation may have been responsible for the persistent wetting trend during the Holocene in western ACA.

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“…The δ 13 C data from organic matter (OM) derived from terrigenous higher plants have been widely used for paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstruction in the Asian summer monsoon region in the past two decades (Zhang et al, 2003;Vidic and Montañez, 2004;An et al, 2005;Liu et al, 2005;Zhou et al, 2012;Jia et al, 2015;Yang et al, 2015;Zhang et al, 2015;Rao et al, 2016). However, there is a lack of consistent regional climatic significance of the δ 13 C data, examples being that surface soil δ 13 C values correlate positively with precipitation in the central of Chinese Loess Plateau, but the correlation is the opposite of that in the sand fields of northern China and Mongolia (An et al, 2005;Feng et al, 2008;Lu et al, 2012;Chen et al, 2015b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been widely used as a proxy to reconstruct paleovegetation and palaeoclimate in southern China (Jia et al, 2003;Zhou et al, 2014Zhou et al, , 2017Sun et al, 2015;Zhang et al, 2015;Sun et al, 2017). In order to clarify the environmental implications of geological δ 13 C PyC data for northeast China, we have compiled reported δ 13 C values of top soil OM from northeast China under different environments (Rao et al, 2008(Rao et al, , 2017Lu et al, 2012;Chen et al, 2015b;Jia et al, 2016). We then present a δ 13 C PyC record from Lake Xingkai in northeast China, covering the last interglacial period and compared the record with a range of other δ 13 C records from the Asian summer monsoon region on an orbital timescale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glacial-interglacial vegetation changes in northeast China inferred from isotopic composition of pyrogenic carbon from Lake Xingkai sediments

Sun

Zhang

Liu

et al. 2018

Organic Geochemistry

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Test stable carbon isotopic composition of soil organic matters as a proxy indicator of past precipitation: Study of the sand fields in northern China

Cited by 14 publications

References 52 publications

Continuous aridification since the mid‐Holocene as the main cause of C₃/C₄ dynamics in the grasslands of northeastern China

Continuous aridification since the mid‐Holocene as the main cause of C₃/C₄ dynamics in the grasslands of northeastern China

Holocene Moisture Variations in Western Arid Central Asia Inferred From Loess Records From NE Iran

Glacial-interglacial vegetation changes in northeast China inferred from isotopic composition of pyrogenic carbon from Lake Xingkai sediments

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Test stable carbon isotopic composition of soil organic matters as a proxy indicator of past precipitation: Study of the sand fields in northern China

Cited by 14 publications

References 52 publications

Continuous aridification since the mid‐Holocene as the main cause of C3/C4 dynamics in the grasslands of northeastern China

Continuous aridification since the mid‐Holocene as the main cause of C3/C4 dynamics in the grasslands of northeastern China

Holocene Moisture Variations in Western Arid Central Asia Inferred From Loess Records From NE Iran

Glacial-interglacial vegetation changes in northeast China inferred from isotopic composition of pyrogenic carbon from Lake Xingkai sediments

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Continuous aridification since the mid‐Holocene as the main cause of C₃/C₄ dynamics in the grasslands of northeastern China

Continuous aridification since the mid‐Holocene as the main cause of C₃/C₄ dynamics in the grasslands of northeastern China