Strontium (Sr) Isotope and Strontium/Calcium (Sr/Ca) Ratios Variations in Speleothems from Central China: A New Proxy for Paleomonsoon Variability

该奖项支持对东亚季风（EAM）的变化研究，从最近通过更新世晚期的百年到千年的尺度上使用中国中部的佛陀和京东洞穴的洞穴沉积物。 将收集和测量洞穴遗址的高分辨率测量数据，以提供过去33万年来的温度，湿度和植被信息。 研究人员将利用新开发的锶同位素质量平衡模型来证明其作为古季风代理的有效性。 研究结果将与已发表的记录（即中国黄土、海洋氧同位素和格陵兰冰）进行比较，以检查EAM在快速气候变化期间的响应。这项研究将通过帮助开发一个古气候代用指标来广泛影响科学界，该代用指标可以增加洞穴系统提供的气候数据。 该研究项目还将有助于培养本科生，并鼓励与中国科学家的国际合作。

This award supports research on the variability of the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) from the recent through the late Pleistocene on centennial to millennial scales using speleothems from Buddha and Jingdong Caves in central China. High-resolution measurements from the cave sites will be collected and measured to provide information on temperature, moisture, and vegetation over the past 330,000 years. The researchers will utilize a newly developed mass balance model for Strontium isotopes to demonstrate its validity as a paleomonsoon proxy. The results will be compared with published records (i.e. Chinese loess, marine oxygen isotopes and Greenland ice) to examine the response of the EAM during periods of rapid climate change.This research will broadly impact the science community by helping develop a paleoclimate proxy that could increase climate data available from cave systems. The research project will also contribute to the training of undergraduate students and encourage international collaboration with Chinese scientists.