High Resolution Paleomonsoon Records from Central China

题目：来自中国中部的高分辨率古季风记录中国中部黄土高原包含了近250万年的古环境变化的连续记录。过去二十年的研究描述了覆盖高原的黄土/古土壤序列，并试图确定其年代，但仅在过去几年，人们才将注意力转向获得末次冰期/间冰期旋回的高分辨率时间序列，以了解影响晚第四纪东亚季风系统的因素。该奖项支持在中国中部干旱和半干旱气候之间的气候敏感边界地带进行的古气候研究，在那里，季风变化的影响是明显的，并在沉积地层中得到了充分的记录。沙漠边缘黄土/古土壤剖面的采样将有助于评估末次冰期和全新世冬季季风强度的时间和区域变化。从这项研究中获得的数据也将与解决干旱和半湿润气候之间人口稠密过渡地带的侵蚀、退化、自然资源开发和农业生产力问题有关。

Abstract ATM-9631673 Porter, Stephen C. University of Washington Title: High Resolution Paleomonsoon Records from Central China The Loess Plateau of central China contains a nearly continuous record of paleoenvironmental change spanning the last 2.5 million years. Studies over the past two decades have described and attempted to date the long loess/paleosol sequence that mantles the plateau, but only during the past several years has attention been directed toward obtaining high-resolution time-series of the last glacial/interglacial cycle in order to understand the factors that influenced the East Asian Monsoon system during the late Quaternary. This award supports a paleoclimate investigation in the climatically sensitive boundary zone between arid and semi-arid climates of central China where the changing monsoon effects are pronounced and well documented in sedimentary strata. Sampling of loess/paleosol profiles along the desert margin will help to assess temporal and regional variations in winter monsoon strength during the last glacial cycle and the Holocene. Data derived from this study also will be relevant to addressing problems of erosion, decertification, natural resource exploitation, and agricultural productivity in the densely inhabited transition zone between arid and semi-humid climates.