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The coastal mountain system (CMS) of southeastern China has been a natural place to study paleotopographic changes primarily due to its marked topographical contrast since the Late Cretaceous. For a quantitative reconstruction of the paleotopographic evolution of the CMS, this paper provides key information from along the Ningde–Jianyang and Huilai–Longchuan cross-sections using apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) and zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe) data combined with thermal history and paleotopographic modeling. For the Ningde–Jianyang section, the AHe dates are in the range of 44.3–70.8 Ma, and the ZHe dates are between 58.5 and 102.9 Ma. For the Huilai–Longchuan section, the resulting AHe dates are in the range of 37.9–73.8 Ma, and ZHe dates are between 65.5 and 119.7 Ma. The modeling results suggest that: 1) the CMS had an asymmetric topography during the Late Cretaceous with the SE segment being significantly higher (peak elevation = 3.8 km) than the NW segment (peak elevation = ~2 km). The marked decreases in elevation and relief of the CMS occurred during 80–40 Ma, followed by relatively minor topographic changes since ~40–30 Ma; 2) The SE segment of the southern CMS experienced significantly faster exhumation (~0.44 km/Myr) than northern CMS (0.16 km/Myr) during 70–60 Ma, which was probably related to thinning of the crust and orogenic collapse linked to the initial-rifting of the South China Sea; 3) The SE segment of southern CMS experienced slower exhumation than northern CMS during 60–40 Ma, likely resulting from the lower elevations in the southern CMS than in the northern CMS during 60–40 Ma. • The coastal mountain system forms a climatic boundary in southeastern China. • Thermochronological data collected along two horizontal transects. • Transect thermochronology results used for topography modeling. • Rapid exhumation from 70-60 Ma along the south 2-D transect linked to rifting. • Rapid exhumation from 60–40 Ma along the north 2-D transect linked to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines the spatial variation of sediment yield in the Yangtze basin in China, a large basin with complex geology, climate, land-use history, and extensive sediment monitoring. 287 stations with drainage area less than 10,000km2 were used to study the scale effects of sediment yield. In order to develop scale relations for regional sediment yield, the whole study area was divided into eight sub-basins. Relation between specific sediment yield and drainage basin area was built for each sub-basin. Regional scaling relation was analyzed based on landforms, geology, lithology and land-use of each sub-basin. Three regional trends were identified in relation to the drainage area: (1) a declining trend, due to soil erosion on heavily cultivated steep land and the storage of sediment in floodplains; (2) a flat trend, due to mass movement on the upper reach and heavy agricultural disturbance on the middle and lower reaches; and (3) an increasing trend, due to downstream recruitment of sediment from land downstream where slope farming and deforestation occurred. Using these developed relations, areally adjusted sediment yield maps were created over the entire Yangtze basin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The problem of historical desertification of the Mu Us desert, northern China has been paid considerable attention during the past several decades. Through the analysis of stratigraphic evidence, historical records and archaeological discoveries, this paper studied the problem using a multidisciplinary approach. The results show that two phases of serious desertification occurred during the last two millennia, one is during the mid-to-late Tang dynasty (about A.D. 800) and the other during the late Ming dynasty (about A.D. 1500–1600). Further investigation of the cause of each phase of desertification demonstrates that the former phase of desertification is closely related to abrupt climate change occurring in the mid-eighth century, but the latter, which started during the Ming dynasty and stopped at late 1980s, is not consistent with climatic causation. Therefore, we suggest that human activities contributed to the development of the latter phase of desertification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes 20th century climate and human impacts on terrestrial and fluvial systems in the Dabie Mountains, Anhui Province, China, based on analyses of four types of information. Analyses of particle size, mineral magnetism, organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in a sediment core taken from the Longhekou reservoir, built in 1958 AD in the upper reaches of Hangbu River, provide an ∼45 year record of fluvial responses, while monitored meteorological and hydrological data provide records of climate and river discharge. Census data compiled for the local Shucheng County provide records of population and land use, complemented with analyses of satellite images. The Xiaotian river delivers over 65% of the total water and silt to the reservoir. Analyses indicate that the fluvial regime tracks the monsoon climate over seasonal timescales, but human activities have a strongly mediating effect on sediment supply, sediment delivery and, to a lesser extent, runoff over longer timescales. Notable periods of human impact on erosion include the Great Leap Forward (1958–1960) and Great Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). A rising trend in precipitation and new land use changes at the present time may be leading to an enhanced flood risk. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Coastal morphodynamics and environmental changes have been obviously altered by global warming, sea-level fluctuations, and human activities. Palynological analysis is one of the most important tools for providing information on vegetation, climate, and environmental change, which can be relatively sensitive indicators of human activity during the Holocene. However, Holocene coastal morphodynamics and palynological evidence from the Pearl River Delta and coastal areas has not been sufficiently studied. In this paper, we carry out analyses using detailed grain-size and palynological records of pollen, spores, freshwater algae, and marine dinoflagellate cysts from Borehole QZK13 in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), southern China. The results show information relating coastal morphodynamics, vegetation evolution, climate changes, and anthropogenic activities during the Holocene based on radiocarbon chronology. In general, the PRE experienced marine transgressive processes; sea-level and the coastline tended to migrate landward between 10,700 and 4250 cal yr BP. Meanwhile, abundant arboreal pollen (mainly Castanopsis , Quercus -evergreen, Oleaceae, and Castanea) and small amounts of non-arboreal pollen (mainly Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Artemisia) were observed in Borehole QZK13, which suggests that subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests were distributed throughout the PRE and adjacent areas, and relatively warm and moist climatic conditions were present during the early-middle Holocene. After that, there were relatively cool and wet climatic conditions, and marine regressive processes occurred in the PRE during the Late Holocene (ca. 4250–960 cal yr BP) indicated by an abrupt increase in aquatic herbs and Dicranopteris. Moreover, we hypothesize that the Neolithic "cultural fault" in the PRE is likely related to frequent storm surges induced by extreme typhoon events that occurred ca. 3000–2700 yr BP. • Grain size, pollen, spores, freshwater algae and dinoflagellate cysts from the Pearl River Estuary were investigated. • Three major phases shown by palynological results were corresponding to the changes in vegetation and climate. • We hypothesized that the Neolithic "cultural fault" is probably related to the storm surges induced by extreme typhoon events. • Natural vegetation cover has suffered large-scale destruction by ancient humans during the Late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Taiyuan Graben and the Linfen Graben are two fault-controlled grabens in the Fen River basin, north China. Broad paleolakes periodically occupied the two grabens during the Pleistocene. This paper discusses how neotectonic activities and paleoclimate changes may have influenced the development of the paleolakes in the two grabens during the middle to late Quaternary, based on the lacustrine landforms and sediments. The distribution of lake terraces and their correlation with loess/paleosol series indicate that three paleolake regressions with vertical drops of about 40–60 m occurred in the two grabens at about 0.76 Ma B.P., 0.55 Ma B.P. and 0.13 Ma B.P. Analysis of the factors controlling paleolake development suggests that rapid tectonic uplift may be the main cause of the three paleolake regressions. Changes in the facies of the lacustrine sediment also suggest that, when tectonic movements were relatively weak, paleoclimate became the main factor causing 2–3 m fluctuations of the paleolake level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents an approach to improve the previously proposed 2-D topography modeling (Ding et al., 2019) that is primarily based on inversion of low-temperature thermochronological data. The new approach requires thermochronological data from both horizontal transect and vertical profiles to yield a more comprehensive modeling of topographic evolution. This modeling allows for (1) reconstruction of paleotopography evolution and (2) calculation of spatial distribution of paleo-geothermal gradients over time; therefore, it is possible to deduce more reliable exhumation histories even for non-steady state topographic evolution. The deduced exhumation histories are used to re-evaluate the topography modeling results. This approach when applied to the Dabie orogen in Eastern China suggests an uneven topographic evolution along the Xishui-Lu'an section and comparable exhumation histories for the Meichuan, the Tianzhushan, the Mingtangshan and the Tiantangzhai vertical profiles since the Late Cretaceous. The modeling results suggest that the location of the highest elevation in the NE-SW transect has been almost identical for the last 80 Ma although the elevation of the peak has reduced by ~3.3 km over the same period. The elevation reduction in the NE segment during 70–40 Ma is caused by extensional activity of the Xiaotian-Mozitan fault. The elevation reduction in the SW segment during 50–30 Ma is probably related to climate change, where the Paleogene topography change in the Dabie orogen played an important role introducing humid and warm air from the Pacific Ocean. • The Dabie orogen forms a tectonic and climatic boundary in Eastern China. • Thermochronological data collected along horizontal transects and vertical profiles • Transect/profile thermochronology results used for topography modeling • Rapid exhumation from 70 to 40 Ma along NE 2-D transect segment linked to faulting • Rapid exhumation from 50 to 30 Ma along SE 2-D transect segment linked to climate change [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]