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The sustainability of dry regions has become a key issue for global development. Their natural and cultural landscapes are facing threats resulting from ongoing global changes. This paper presents an overview of geomorphological, climatic-environmental, and archaeological studies in the hyper-arid eastern Tarim Basin (Lop Nur), northwest China, a world-renowned crossroad for early east-west communications, to provide a scientific foundation for sustaining its nature-culture heritage. The late Quaternary landscape changes in the Lop Nur region are characterised by cycles between oases and yardang deserts, shaping the extensive aeolian landform. Archaeological evidence suggests humans' adaptation and resilience to today what are viewed as inhospitable environments since the late Pleistocene by exploiting the diverse range of oasis resources, movement, and encouraging adjacent populations to diversify their subsistence base. Settlement- and regional-scale deterioration of available water resources, affected by environmental and climatic dynamics, caused the eventual abandonment. Periodic occupation and abandonment in the Lop Nur region accompanying oasis-desert/yardang environment cycles provide important lessons for present-day policymakers to contextualise the relationship between human communities and fragile ecosystems. The open-air sites in the Lop Nur region represent the best-preserved oasis-desert civilisation, suffering cultural history losses. We propose the urgent necessity to establish a transdisciplinary database, construct a master chronological framework of settlement, and integrate the culture-nature heritage within the network of the Silk Roads. The scientific management of river networks is also critical for protecting those riverine cultural relics. The site- and group-level management of heritage needs to be adapted to the projected changes in climate and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northeast China played an irreplaceable role in population migrations and cultural exchanges in East Asia during the Paleolithic. This paper collected 182 archaeological sites to analyse the characteristics of spatial-temporal variations of Paleolithic human activities in Northeast China, and explored the driving mechanisms behind these variations in combination with the paleoenvironmental and archaeological studies. During the Lower Paleolithic, constrained by the relatively cold-dry climate and blocked by the Songnen paleo-lake basin, the population was sparse and distributed only near 40° N at the southern end of Northeast China. Upon entering the Middle Paleolithic, as humans developed greater tolerance to cold climates and adopted more sophisticated survival strategies with the application of small lithic tools, their numbers increased and geographical distribution expanded northward to 45° N at the central region of Northeast China. The Upper Paleolithic saw a considerable increase in population and expansion across almost all of Northeast China except for the eastern Inner Mongolia Plateau. We speculated that 50 ka and 30 ka BP were two key points, both of which may be associated with a significant increase in the frequency of migrations and communications among humans, and the widespread popularity of highly mobile microblade technology, respectively. In addition, the environmental analysis of archaeological sites revealed a continuous spread of Paleolithic humans to areas with higher elevations, steeper slopes, and lower temperatures. Meanwhile, they were becoming less reliant on water resources and were more widely conducting activities in open-air areas, showing that the environmental adaptability had been continuously improving over time. This study can provide a reference for the reconstruction of the migration history of early humans in East Asia, and is also of great significance for a comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary process of early human-environment interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paddy field ecosystem and diversified plant food resources in the middle and late Liangzhu Culture were revealed at the Zhumucun site. Based on pollen and phytolith records, this paper presents local vegetation landscape of the site: (1) evergreen-deciduous broad-leaved forests dominated by Quercus , Castanopsis , and Ulmus distributed on the nearby hills, (2) terrestrial herbs represented by Poaceae plants tend to expand on the plain, (3) aquatic plants such as Typha , Trapa , Myriophyllum and Euryale ferox grew in rivers and lakes, and (4) plants such as Phragmites australis , Echinochloa , Polygonum lapathifolium , Haloragidaceae, Rumex , Cyperus , Cyperaceae, and Polygonaceae were distributed in and around the wetland. Water activities tended to be intense, and the climate was generally warm and humid with short-term anomalously cold or wet fluctuations. This is in line with the characteristics of environmental changes revealed by regional natural accumulations. In this conditions, local rice ecosystem was recorded with diachronic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western area of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) is close to the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau (NTP) and arid regions of northern China. Loess-paleosol sequence is a good archive for studying the variation of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and the evolutionary history of paleoclimate. However, excessive remagnetization makes it challenging to infer the location of the time-scaled strata, and only a few high-resolution long scale paleomagnetic data are available from the western CLP. To solve this problem, this paper presents a study on establishing a Quaternary chronological framework using the traditional paleomagnetic method and quartz electron spin resonance (ESR) dating. The result is validated by comparing sequences in a variation of magnetic susceptibility and grain-size. Detailed thermal demagnetization records show that declination is reversed, but the inclination reversal is not apparent between S7 and S8. ESR estimated that the three samples collected at a depth of ∼112–145 m were 853.51 ± 133.43 ka, 962.12 ± 144.30 ka, and 1004.27 ± 206.86 ka, respectively. Constrained by these ESR dates, the age of the L9-L15 is defined as ∼0.9–1.2 Ma, which is corroborated the observation in the field stratigraphic survey, the characteristics of magnetic susceptibility and grain-size data. Based on these ages, the Matuyama and Brunhes boundary (MBB, ∼0.78 Ma) is deduced in L8 as inferred from the declination sequence. The bottom age of the loess-paleosol sequence extrapolated from the sedimentation rate is 2.13 Ma. The chronological sequence is therefore established. Several environmental indexes were changed coordinately in broad areas based on the chronological framework, indicating that it is logical and reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a quantitative chronology for the spread of rice, based on the global Rice Chronology Database that builds upon direct datings of archaeological rice remains. Bayesian and spatio-temporal modelling suggest eastern China (lower Yangzi, middle Yangzi, southern Huai River, and Shandong) and northeastern South Asia as two key origins of rice cultivation, dating to ca. 7430 and 6460 BCE, respectively. At least two episodes of spread of rice are identified. The first, dating to the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE, accounts for the appearance of rice in the middle Yellow River and Wei River regions, southeastern China, southwestern China, and Southeast Asia. An examination of population dynamics in China shows that this episode of spread might be associated with farmers whose subsistence was based largely on millets. During a second episode of spread, dating between the 1st millennium BCE and 1st millennium CE, rice spread to the Liao River region, Central Asia, and Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North China is known as a region where cultural traditions do not change throughout the Pleistocene, while it is a region of interest for its association with several demographic events in Paleolithic age. In order to clarify the reason why the lithic industry mainly composed of quartz continued over a long period of time, it is necessary to accumulate information on lithic assemblage and human behavior. This paper adds an example of culture and behavior around 40 ka and discusses the adaptability of quartz small flake-tool industry. As reported here, three lithic assemblages of the Shuilian Cave Site in Hebei Province were dated to 43 ka cal BP, 34 ka cal BP, and the intermediate age based on the result of our radiocarbon dating. Except for small number of artifacts made of siliceous rock, the majority in all three assemblages are corresponds to the traditional small flake-tool industry in northern China. In the upper assemblage of the site, it was restored that vein quartz procured around the site was consumed systematically using bipolar percussion in combination with direct percussion. The technology employed at the site is adapted to the vein quartz as resources in the vicinity, giving a hint as to why less variable lithic industry continued throughout some demographic epoch in northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of pottery dated to around 20ka cal BP, within terminal Pleistocene cave sites in South China has been heatedly debated over the past decades. While the dates and pottery itself gained great attention, the archaeological context in which these findings were made have received less attention due to language biases, making it difficult to address questions of how and why pottery emerged in this region. This paper summarized the major findings from South China pottery-bearing sites dated between 25 and 10ka cal BP, and critically evaluates the environmental, cultural and behavioral changes during and after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The most up to date discoveries demonstrate that pottery appeared in South China right after the LGM, together with changes in lithic assemblages, the appearance of various bone and antler artefacts, as well as a transition to more sedentary lifeways with a heavier reliance on aquatic resources and small-sized animals, long before the appearance of early agriculture. These findings also reflect a more complex history and cultural diversity of different human groups in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding social-ecological interactions is a major research priority for sustainable management. However, the scarcity in multi-decadal records represents a big gap in information that hinders the development of above research. In this paper, we propose a framework to explore the long-term dynamic mechanisms between social and ecological systems, and present a case study in the Erhai basin, southwest China. Using paleolimnological proxies to reconstruct the long-term trends of ecological changes, the social-ecological system (SES) framework links the variations of ecosystem services (ESs) and ecosystem functions with social policies. According to the results of the Erhai basin, there were increasing social demands and wanted provisioning ESs but degraded ecosystem functions over the last 70 years. Typically, the introduction of four major Chinese carps since the 1950s, the construction of hydropower stations on the Xi'er river since the 1970s, and the development of tourism since the 1990s, have been implemented to meet the social demands for wanted fish provisioning, hydroelectricity provisioning, and culture services respectively. Although there were temporary benefits in above desired services, improper strategies have gradually impaired the functions of native fish diversity, hydrodynamic forces, and nutrient cycling. Degraded ecosystem functions threatened the sustainable provision of wanted ESs, which motivated the implementation of subsequent social policies, such as the fishing ban after the 1950s, water level control after the 1970s and restoration projects after the 1990s. By rounds of renewed social drivers/policies, the social system and ecosystem in the Erhai basin are tightly connected in the form of a feedback loop in the SES, rendering dynamic changes in wanted ESs. The current social-ecological trap in the Erhai basin emphasizes the significance of SES framework and advantages of a paleolimnological approach in revealing the long-term SES dynamics, which can help tailor proper management measures in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstruction of sedimentary evolution plays a significant role in the investigation of natural groundwater contamination and stratigraphic mineral resources. In this paper, the variation in sedimentary characteristics and sedimentary evolution were studied by lithology, chronology and organic matter with the high-resolution grain size parameters of boreholes for Quaternary in northern Jianghan Basin. Following more traditional plotting of grain size parameters and summary statistics, visual categorization and analysis of grain size frequency distribution curves provided an effective measure for the identification of sedimentary facies. Combining with the Fisher model, new and highly efficient discriminant formulas were established, and tested for the validity. Additionally, the sedimentary evolution process and the provenance of different sedimentary facies were identified with the help of organic matter and δ 13C org data, provided geological information to explore the natural contamination of reducing arsenic ions and excessive nitrate in strata. The identification results suggest that fluvial and lacustrine sediments are dominant in the area, and the regional sedimentary environment is uniform and not affected by the transgression. The analysis results of grain size with organic matter parameters are consistent for discriminating sedimentary facies, which verified the rationality of grain size analysis and confirmed the use of organic matter content to be effective in identifying the process of fluvial and lacustrine sediments. Based on the chronological results of Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating and sedimentary facies determination, the sedimentary evolutionary process was deduced during the Quaternary for the study area. This research has important significance for the division and correlation of Quaternary borehole strata, underground contamination study, as well as environmental planning and protection. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northern edge of the East Asian monsoon region is also a transition zone of temperate continental and monsoon climate, which is a sensitive zone of global climate and ecological environment change. It is an urgent problem to find out the long-term climate change rules of this region. Using 101 tree core samples obtained from 54 trees, a 343-year tree-ring width chronology of the Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco (1673–2016) in the Wula Mountains, Inner Mongolia, China was established. The analysis shows that the radial growth of P. orientalis is closely related to hydrothermal conditions, the average minimum temperature and relative humidity are the main factors that determine the growth of P. orientalis. Based on the strong correlation between the tree-ring indices and the annual average minimum temperature (r = −0.870, p < 0.001), we reconstructed an average annual minimum temperature series from 1673 to 2016 using a linear regression equation, and the reconstructed equation can explain 75.724% of the variance, respectively. According to the data from the past 343 years, the changes in the annual average minimum temperature series had the cycles of 58.6-, 7.7-, 3.4-, 3.1-, 2.2-, and 2.1-years; the series showed three warm periods (1824–1830, 1909–1922, and 1986–2011) and 4 cold periods (1703–1712, 1731–1738, 1754–1763, and 1937–1951). The low temperature periods recorded in the reconstructed series for the 17th and 18th centuries are consistent with the Little Ice Age that occurred in the northern hemisphere, and the heating rate significantly increased at the end of the 20th century. In addition, the cold and warm periods recorded by the reconstruction result is basically consistent with the extreme climate events recorded in the historical documents of the region and the reconstruction results in other regions. In this paper, the world's first chronology of P. orientalis tree ring width was established. A historical sequence of annual average minimum temperature of 343 years was reconstructed in a typical region of the East Asian monsoon climate. It fills in the blank of reconstruction sequence and variation characteristics of mean minimum temperature in the northern edge of East Asian monsoon and transition zone of temperate continental and monsoon climate in recent four centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yiluo region in the middle Yellow River has been a core area of archaeological inquiry for understanding the origins of the first dynastic states in China. In order to investigate the social changes on a regional scale, a systematic full-coverage regional survey project was carried out from 1997 to 2018, covering an area of 1183 km2 in the Yiluo region. This paper analyzes the settlement patterns of 451 sites of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages (ca. 6000–200 cal. BC), providing the most comprehensive pictures yet, of the spatial and temporal relationships of settlement distribution during a nearly 6000-year time span. The paper demonstrates a developmental trajectory from a landscape dotted with scattered, small Neolithic villages to a highly centralized dynastic heartland in early Chinese civilization. The evolutionary pathways were not straightforward, but were characterized by episodic fluctuations in population density, and the rise and fall of complex societies. Holocene climatic fluctuations may have played significant roles affecting human activities, but it is the human responses to external challenges in various ways that ultimately determined the trajectories of social evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ancient Loulan kingdom in northwest China was a key transportation hub along the ancient Silk Road. What determined the burial practice in Loulan is a mystery as many of the tombs were constructed atop approximately 20-m-high yardangs in the north of the ancient city of Loulan. This paper includes the first attempt to provide a geoarchaeological perspective on this problem. A representative section (3.8 m) from the tomb area was investigated using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and grain size analyses to reconstruct environmental changes. Results show that the section was formed during Loulan's early development stage (approximately from the second century BC to the first century AD) in the wake of lacustrine-fluvial hydrology fluctuation. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the tombs were also constructed during the period. Therefore, our reconstruction indicates that the landscape of the burial area was dominated by extensive island-like yardangs within a lake or wetland. We argue that the burial practice was influenced by the yardang's location high above the wetland/flooded area. People would generally prefer cemeteries in the area to avoid disturbance to the bodies from the fluctuating water table. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The applicability of the three stage Paleolithic sequence (Lower, Middle, Upper) in eastern Asia that is used in the western Old World has long been a debated issue. The crux of the discussion is whether a distinct "Middle Paleolithic" ("MP") is present in the eastern Asian record, especially north China. Recently, the artifacts from the Lingjing site (2005–2016), in northern China, have been argued to be potential representative of a "Chinese Middle Paleolithic" ("CMP"). In this paper, we introduce a thorough analysis on a newly discovered lithic assemblage from the 2017 excavation of the Lingjing site. We found that simple free-hand hard hammer percussion is the dominant core reduction strategy with only a very small frequency of atypical, bi-conical discoidal cores. When considering other contemporary sites in northern China (e.g., Xujiayao and Banjingzi), Lingjing belongs to a small tool tradition that is widespread throughout northern China. The Lingjing artifacts do display some obvious differences in core reduction and lithic retouching techniques from those typical of the Lower/Early Paleolithic (or Mode 1) assemblage pre-40 ka in the Chinese Paleolithic. The diversity of characteristics of lithic technology from Lingjing and other contemporary sites in north China show the complexity of the Chinese Early Paleolithic, rather than a simple monotonous stone tool tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a demographic history of China in the last glacial cycle. This history is complex because China lies in both the Palearctic and Oriental biographic realms, and experienced several immigration events before H. sapiens. Immigration by our species into the Oriental Realm of south China from southeast Asia probably began as early as 80,000 years ago. North China has a different history: here, humans immigrated from Mongolia and southern Siberia ca. 45,000 years ago as part of a cold-adapted Palearctic fauna. These populations were largely independent of one another, and each needs to be seen as part of their respective biogeographic realms. The subsequent demographic history of China is one of mixing and inter-breeding of populations from both north and south China. In the LGM, north China (and Mongolia) were largely depopulated, and subsequent recolonization of north China occurred from both the north and the south. Explanations of the demographic history of China have to include developments beyond its borders, immigration, assimilation of new populations, and continuity of local groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The site of Jiahu in the central plain of China is known for its early rice cultivation 9000 years ago. The preliminary starch analysis implies that the Jiahu grinding tools were used for processing various plants, including rice. This paper presents the use-wear analysis carried out on a sample of seventeen grinding tools from Jiahu, nine of which were previously analyzed for the presence of starch. Use-wear traces associated with processing cereal and wood-like material were identified. This result confirms important evidence of cereal processing in the early Neolithic period. It also reveals the diversity of functions in the grinding tool assemblage. Furthermore, the use-wear distribution indicates that grinding slabs without feet and cylindrical rollers were mainly associated with the processing of cereals while grinding slabs with feet were mainly related to the processing of wood-like material. Quantitative analysis of the starch data also indicates that grinding slabs without feet possess more starch grains than the grinding slabs with feet. Therefore, it is argued that specific types of grinding tools were used for processing specific kinds of material. This study highlights the different roles grinding tools may have played in early farming societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) is believed to be native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, and has been used as food widely throughout Asia since prehistory. In China, this cereal is frequently mentioned in ancient texts as being used in food, medicine, and alcoholic beverages. It also assumed significance in dynastic legends. However, unlike other cereals, Job's tears' dispersal and domestication process remain unclear. The macrofossil remains of this plant have only been found sporadically at about seven sites from the Neolithic to the Han dynasty (ca. 7000-1800 cal BP); but its microfossil remains have been recovered from more than 30 sites across China, ranging from tropical to temperate zones, and dating to as early as 28,000 cal. BP. This discrepancy between macrofossil and microfossil findings poses a challenge to archaeobotanists. This paper presents a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate the depositional processes of Job's tears in archaeological contexts, including ethnographic observation, starch and phytolith analyses, use-wear analysis of stone tools, and experimental charring. We propose methods for identifying its microfossil remains, which may help to explore the possible pathways of its domestication in the future. Based on current archaeological data, Job's tears was already collected as a starchy food source by Upper Paleolithic populations in China by 28,000 cal BP, but it may have largely disappeared during the cold and dry episode of Younger Dryas in a large part of north China. While this plant appears to have been exploited during the early Holocene in the Huai and Yangzi river regions, no evidence indicates its presence in the temperate zones north of the Yellow river until after 8000 cal. BP. The reasons for such changes still need to be investigated. However, it is noted that Job's tears became widespread in the Neolithic period, coinciding in time and space with the development of millet domestication over a broad region in the Yellow River and Liao River valleys. This plant may have been a component of farming practices during the mid-Holocene climatic maximum in China, but more comprehensive analyses need to be done to investigate its domestication process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents dating results of AMS 14C, 210Pb and 137Cs methods on two young peat profiles from Jinchuan Mire in southeast Jilin of China. JC1 (50-cm long) from a hummock of the mire covers 1962–2007 CE with an accumulation rate of 1.12 cm/y, whereas JCA (92-cm long) from a lawn site involves a 1000-year record with a mean sedimentation of 0.09 cm/y. Comparison of the dating results of the last 100-y part of the peat cores, chronologies based on the AMS 14C dating are most reliable, because the mobility of 210Pb and 137Cs in peat profiles causes overestimation of depositional rate with the larger errors in the deeper layers. The F14C of peat samples were significantly lower than that of the atmospheric CO 2 for the post nuclear bomb period because of three reasons: (1) uptake of old CO 2 dissolved in the water by aquatic plants during photosynthesis; (2) long-term mixing of the atmospheric CO 2 in multiple year growth of the plants; and (3) perhaps dilution effect caused by strong surface runoff. Among these factors, Factor (1) accounts for the major influence. Hence, a "bomb 14C curve" from a peat profile is necessary for determining post bomb ages. For the pre-nuclear bomb ages, acid-base-acid (ABA) treatment of a peat sample may cause an older-than-true age due to removal of organic acids produced during photosynthesis. This observation calls for detailed investigation of mechanism study and proper pretreatment of peat samples for 14C dating. The large difference of the depositional rates in the same peatland between JC1 and JCA indicates that estimation of carbon storage in a peatland should be based on the database of multiple sites rather than a couple of cores. For the same reason, one should not use a depositional rate either from a core with distance in the same peatland or from an adjacent peatland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 4.2 ka event was one of Holocene abrupt-change events and characterized by dry and cool climatic conditions in many parts of the world. The event was reported to have played important roles in the collapses of those major ancient civilizations. This paper first attempts to portray a global picture of this "4.2 ka Event" and then reviews those reliably-dated sequences containing "4.2 ka Event" retrieved from the domains of four major civilizations. This review further confirms the proposition advocated by the International Stratigraphy Committee that 4.2 ka was the chronological divider between the warmer-wetter middle Holocene and the cooler-drier late Holocene. This review also lends a further support to early proposals that the declines or disruptions of Ancient Egyptian Culture, Mesopotamian Culture, and Ancient Indian Culture at ∼4.2 ka BP were directly or indirectly associated with the "4.2 ka Event". In Chinese cultural domain, the derailment of nearly all of the well-developed Neolithic cultures at ∼4.2 ka BP was also chronologically correlated with the proxy data-recorded abrupt climatic change at ∼4.2 ka BP. But, it should be admitted that either drying or cooling or drying and cooling at ∼4.2 ka BP might not be sufficient to collapse these well-developed cultures in presently warm and wet southern China. Surely, further studies are needed for constraining the climatic and environmental variables at ∼4.2 ka BP not only in southern China but also in the adjacent Central Plains of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Henan area is climatologically situated in the transition between northern and southern China and the transition is reported to be highly sensitive to climate changes during the Holocene. To better understand the Holocene climatic and environmental changes in Henan area where high-quality data are lacking, this paper first reviewed those published palaeoenvironmental records in attempt to provide a low-resolution framework of the Holocene environmental changes in Henan area, and then synthesized the moisture proxy records from the surrounding areas in attempt to define a high-resolution trend of the Holocene moisture variation for our target site (i.e., Zhengzhou within Henan area). Two major conclusions can be drawn. First, the high-resolution Holocene moisture curve for our target site well follows the general moisture trend of China and the curve is well corroborated by two recently-reported data sets: one from Mangshan loess-palaeosol sequence and another from Laomu-Dongshiya Cave. Second, our synthesis supports an earlier notion stating that the "Holocene Moisture Optimum" in China was a delayed response to the oceanic "Holocene Thermal Optimum". The latter might in turn be a delayed response to the summer insolation peak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeologists have focused on the social conditions surrounding the development of urbanism around the world; however, the environmental impact of these ancient cities remains unclear. In this paper, we present palynological data from the early Bronze Age city of Dongzhao, Henan Province, China. Our data indicate that vegetation change and the development of early urban settlements are closely linked, with the advent of urban development significantly accelerating deforestation and altering the composition of local vegetation communities. The pollen record from Dongzhao provides new evidence to support the claim that urban expansion, coupled with a drying climate and the expansion of agriculture, dramatically reconfigured the landscapes of Bronze Age China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hobq Desert (HD) locates at the northern margin of the Ordos Plateau, China and the transition zone to the Hetao Basin. It is one of the main proximal deserts of the Loess Plateau, and its formation was controlled by the evolution of the Yellow River and the Ordos Plateau. It is still worthy of discussing the regional structure to enhance the understanding of the desert formation and paleoenvironment, especially with the additional works in the eastern part. Geophysical methods including gravity, magnetic, EM (electromagnetic) are often used to analyse the regional and near-surface structure. As for drilling records, they could show the lithology sequence directly and be applied for the environmental study (e.g., OSL dating). Therefore, in this paper, we used the satellite gravity data, GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar), TEM (Transient electromagnetic method) and drilling records with borehole resistivity data to analyse the desert structure from different scales and the paleoenvironment. Trough the upward continuation and Park-Oldenburg calculation for the gravity data, the thickness of Quaternary deposits is 0.85–1.55 km. The inferred faults indicated the performance of the Hetao Basin and the Ordos Plateau's uplift in Pleistocene, which also contributed to HD's formation and existing topography. A three-part structure within 350 m was revealed in the profile at eastern HD by EM data. The upper layer within 80–90 m was the aeolian dry sand, the middle one was mainly fluviolacustrine saturated sand with the occurrence of clay and grey calcareous root tubes, and the lower one might be the aeolian sand. This near-surface structure was consistent to the western part, and the forming period for the sand in the upper zone was thereby estimated no earlier than 80 Ka. Moreover, during this period, millennial-scale changes in paleo-effective moisture occurred although it was dominated by the arid climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neogene Pliocene series (N 2) laterite is a special zonal soil widely distributed in northwestern China. However, given that it is largely covered by loess and other Quaternary deposits, there has been a lack of in-depth studies on its engineering geological characteristics. In recent years, with the development of resources and the construction of grand-scale industrialization in northwest China, many projects (slope, tunnel, mining, etc.) have encountered geological engineering problems due to the N 2 laterite. Investigating the engineering geological characteristics of the N 2 laterite provides the key to solving these problems. Using N 2 laterite samples from typical regions in northwestern China and conducting laboratory tests, this paper analyzes the mineralogical composition, particle size distribution, clay mineral content and microstructure characteristics of the N 2 laterite. It discusses its origin and depositional environment characteristics, and probes into its physical, hydrological and mechanical properties. Finally, the engineering environmental effect of the N 2 laterite is summarized. According to the results, the N 2 laterite composition is dominated by quartz, followed by feldspar; interstitial materials mainly consist of fine grained-microcrystalline calcite and clay minerals; particle size distribution mainly covers clay and silt, with relatively uniform particle sizes; in clay minerals, the contents of hydrophilic minerals montmorillonite and illite/montmorillonite mixed layer are fairly high. N 2 laterite is mainly an aeolian deposit, with medium water-holding capacity and plastic, hard-plastic or hard in its natural state, and as a medium swelling soil. It is relatively impermeable; under natural moisture content conditions, the N 2 laterite has a relatively high strength, but, when subjected to long-term groundwater, its strength decreases rapidly. In addition, the N 2 laterite is a medium-high compressibility soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, archaeologists have studied how ancient humans have shaped, and been shaped by, their surrounding environments in an effort to provide valuable insight into the patterns of human-environment interaction during prehistoric and historical periods. Along the Heihe River in Hexi Corridor of northwest China, archaeologists have found many ancient cities that are good places to explore changes in human settlement patterns in relation to environment change in historical periods. In this paper, we present our investigation of seven ancient cities to clarify the chronology of these cities and their strategy for wood use in the area through the application of radiocarbon dating and charcoal identification. Our results suggest that the ages of many cities are younger than previous estimates, and humans mainly used Tamarix and mixed Tamarix and broad leaf trees in the lower and middle reaches of the Heihe River basin between ∼ AD 240–1380 respectively, and roughly matches the modern spatial distribution of natural woody vegetation in the area. In comparison to the results of archaeological, paleoclimatic and historical studies in Hexi Corridor, we propose that ancient human strategies for wood use and their impact on environment of the Heihe Basin are primarily relevant to human lifestyles rather than climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract There are ten ephemeral tributaries of the Yellow River in the Inner Mongolia of China. As their catchments are covered by loose materials and are dominated by an intense interaction between wind and water erosion, these tributaries have had a high sediment yield and alluvial fans have been formed at the confluences of the tributaries with the Yellow River. However, there is a lack of understanding in the deposition model of the alluvial fans and the roles of fluvial and aeolian processes in sediment accumulation. In this paper, we used Ground Penetrating Radar (100 MHz) and sediment cores to investigate the sediments in channels and alluvial fans of four out of the ten tributaries. Radar reflection profiles of sedimentary strata are dominated by horizontal or sub-horizontal layers with a large scale, showing that the fluvial deposition on the alluvial fans has been dominated by a vertical accretion pattern. The reflection features like reflection free, inclined reflections, discontinuous, undulate, chaotic, sinuous reflections and channel fill exist to a lesser extent. A few GPR profiles send signs of intense erosion, and the one near the apex of an alluvial fan reveals that erosion had been active likely during the early Holocene and the channel position should be relatively fixed. The information extracted from this profile and the widely exposed late Pleistocene strata in the upper parts of the alluvial fans according to the geological map of the study area indicates that sediment accumulation has been slow in the upper alluvial fans since the early Holocene. The sediment cores indicate that sedimentary strata under the alluvial fans are mainly composed by sand and silt deposited in a fluvial environment and rarely reworked by wind actions. Also according to the core data, the sediment deposits in the west fans were coarser than those in the east fans, likely suggesting that the hydrodynamic force of the western tributaries was stronger than that of the east ones. The hydrodynamic environment of the tributaries was usually unstable historically and hyperconcentrated flows might occur with a higher frequency in one of the tributaries in history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In northwestern China, many historical nomadic kingdoms and Chinese dynasties sought to control the Heihe River basin, an important location on the eastern part of the ancient Silk Road. Archaeologists have argued that changes in material culture are tied to the frequent turnover in polities in the area, but no published evidence supports these claims. In this paper, we evaluate the relative importance of environmental and political factors in determining the spatiotemporal pattern of archaeological sites in the middle and lower reaches of the Heihe River basin by using previously published high-resolution paleoclimate records and a variety of historical documents. Our results indicate that humans intensively exploited the Heihe River basin during Han dynasty (202BC–AD 220). Following the Han dynasty, during the Wei-Jin (AD 222–589) and Sui-Tang (AD 581–907) periods the number of archaeological sites. In the Western Xia-Yuan period (AD 1038–1368), people mainly settled in the lower reaches of the Heihe River basin and only returned to the middle reaches of the Heihe River basin during the Ming and Qing dynasties (AD 1368–1912). Although climate change and the local environment affected human activities in Heihe River basin, geopolitical events, such as forced mass migrations, are more responsible for influencing the distribution of archaeological sites over the past 2000 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to farming is often written in the language of progress. The search has been for the oldest sedentary farming settlements, the processes of plant and animals domestication and the profound societal alterations that accompanied the choice to change lifeway. Perhaps because most of us come from long-standing farmer ancestry, we tend to assume that farming is a superior and more secure way of life. Is there any data to support this? Evidence from southern Africa since the 1970s has shown that the Kalahari hunter-gatherers living in what is a comparatively harsh environment have/had a relatively easier life, with considerably more leisure time and a longer life expectancy than those living in early farmer groups (Lee and DeVore, 1976). Many hunter-gatherers in East Asia will have had even more comfortable and leisure filled lives than those of the Kalahari Bushmen. It is therefore important to ask the question as to why East Asian hunter-gatherers took up farming and whether all hunter-gatherer groups made this choice swiftly and willingly. I use evidence from studies into hunter-gatherer interactions with farmers in sub-saharan Africa to consider this question. It was originally hoped that groups such as the Bushmen of southern Africa, the Pygmies of central Africa and the Hadza/Sandawe of East Africa could give us glimpses into a universal hunter-gatherer past. Revisionist studies since the 1970s have sought to undermine this hope and have emphasised that early research recorded the end product of at least two millennia of interaction, influence and change from being amongst pastoralists and farmers. Archaeology has made significant contributions to this debate, providing evidence for the nature and extent of interaction, continuity and change. Today we are therefore well-positioned to consider the specifics of how hunter-gatherer groups responded to the coming of livestock keepers and farmers in different parts of Africa. This paper will review African interaction models so as to consider their implications for East Asia. I do not provide a general model for interaction, indeed I would be ideologically opposed to any attempt at this kind of universalism, but I seek to provide a convincing glimpse of the kinds of real-world complexity and contextuality in the choices made by East Asian hunter-gatherers in their responses to the presence and influence of farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmer's ability to rapidly grow their populations has been seen as an advantage in allowing them to either engulf or simply do away with foragers. Research on agriculture's spread in East Asia has followed an underlying assumption: that farming produced equally reliable returns across the vast expanse of territories into which it spread. Farmers are thus always seen as being at a demographic advantage. However, in some parts of Asia, ecological barriers to growing crops may have meant that the opposite was true. In order to illuminate how foragers and farmers might have interacted in environments marginal to crop cultivation, I argue that we first need to outline where the barriers to farmer expansion in prehistory lay. Using ecological niche modeling combined with an analysis of recent archaeological data, this paper contrasts forager farmer interaction in two different areas of the Tibetan Plateau. It argues that the higher elevation reaches of the “third pole” constituted a barrier for early millet farmers expanding into the region. In these areas foragers may have maintained a competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhoukoudian, near Beijing, is where the Homo erectus Sinathropus pekinensis (Peking Man) fossils were found in the 1920s, and has always been a focus for studies of Palaeolithic archaeology in China. This paper discusses two aspects of Zhoukoudian in transition: research histories and lithic technologies. From a historical perspective, the study considers the change in research paradigms and perspectives to examine how research at Zhoukoudian has transformed Chinese Palaeolithic archaeology in the last two decades. This paper will give an overview on lithic assemblages at Zhoukoudian to illustrate the complexity of lithic industries in North China, which are not yet fully understood. In conclusion, the study suggests more research problems rather than prestige collections that were inherited by the current generation of scholars, who call for careful reviews of valuable historic data, including lithic, faunal, sediment, and human remains, before any further interpretations are produced. This study suggests that lithic industries in transition at Zhoukoudian can provide another line of evidence to support the continuous development of Pleistocene hominid evolutions, especially leading to the origins of modern humans in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of the East Asian Neolithic have been conducted for more than a century and many attempts have been made to interpret the functions of prehistoric pottery, particularly the earliest ceramics. The unsophisticated pottery discovered in the Weijiawopu site opens a window for the study of early ceramic function. We conducted plant residue analyses of ceramics from the Weijiawopu Neolithic site; the largest Hongshan Culture settlement in Inner Mongolia, China. The site is thought to belong to the early to middle period of the Hongshan Culture, approximately 6500-5500 cal BP. Based on evidence from starch grains, we identified four main plant resources: 1) cereal grains; 2) Dioscorea plant tubers; 3) beans; and 4) nuts. None of the individual starch grains exhibit surface damage, indicating they did not undergo extensive processing such as grinding or cooking. Hence, we conclude that the pottery samples analyzed derive from food storage containers, indicating one major function of early pottery at the site. Furthermore, wild plants are thought to have been an essential part of the Weijiawopu people's subsistence base, suggesting a mixed economic pattern based upon both domestication activities and hunting-gathering-foraging lifeways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of glaciers for providing runoff is reflected in the extensive glacier measurement record for China. In this paper, we summarized the mass-balance and front-variation data of glaciers in China that have long-term records. Mass balance has been measured for 22 glaciers; length (or front-position) records exist for 96 glaciers. We found that the mean rate of glacial mass balance decreased by −0.015 m w.e. (water equivalent) per year during the period 1959–2015, which was lower than that for glaciers globally (−0.013 m w.e. per year). It was indicated that the rate of glacial melting (mass loss) increased in China, which was higher than that in glaciers worldwide. However, glacial frontal positions varied among mountains in time and space. Glaciers in the Karakoram Mountains mean advanced 379 m during the 1968–2000 period, while glaciers in the Pamir Mountains remained relatively stable from the 1960s through the 2000s, i.e., retreated 28 m. Glaciers in Hengduan Mountains retreated farthest (1250 m maximum) from 1930 to 2005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents an archaeological–palaeopathological case study from Turfan (western China). Although this area is located outside of the two focus regions of the special issue (Baikal and Hokkaido), it once belonged to the same cultural sphere and experienced intensive contacts and exchanges with the neighbouring regions. The case study presented here combines detailed palaeopathological analysis of human skeletal remains with precise age determination and archaeological and regional contexts, demonstrating the high potential of such studies in arid and semi-arid China. The current paper also presents an unusual early case of prosthetic leg use from western China. The skeleton of a 50–65-year-old man and his wooden leg prosthesis discovered in a tomb in Shengjindian graveyard (Turfan, China) have been examined. Macroscopic lesions observed on ribs two to eleven, between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebra, and on the left knee joint are probably due to tuberculosis infection. The inflammatory process led to osseous ankylosis of the knee, fixing it at 135° flexion and 11° internal rotation, making walking impossible. The lost mobility of the disabled shank was regained by using an externally fitted wooden prosthesis which consists of thigh stabilizer, peg, leather straps, sheep/goat horn reinforcement of the peg tip, and horse/Asiatic ass hoof as sink resistance. Heavy traces of wear and absence of muscle atrophy indicate long-term use of the prosthesis. Ten radiocarbon dates on the prosthesis, human bones and wood pieces from the same grave suggest the most probable age of the burial is about 300–200 BC (68% confidence interval), thus introducing the oldest functional leg prosthesis known to date. The results provide some support for a DNA-based hypothesis that the spread of tuberculosis in Asia was related to intensified inter-regional contacts and higher residential mobility during the first millennium BC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Under the background of climate change, droughts have occurred widely and frequently in North China in recent years. Using tree-ring to study droughts has advantages such as accurate dating, strong continuity and high resolution. This paper uses the Chinese pine ring-width of Xiaowutai Mountain, China, to analyze the correlations between the ring-width and climatic factors. The results show that the standard and residual chronologies of Chinese pine have significant correlations between spring precipitation, 0 cm ground temperature in May, average relative humidity of April and May, hours of sunshine and percentage of sunshine in May, and Z index of spring. The Chinese pine ring-width is fundamentally affected by the precipitation of the study area. 0 cm ground temperature, average relative humidity and hours of sunshine all affect the ring-width by affecting the soil water content indirectly. The years when the Chinese pine ring-width index of Xiaowutai Mountain falls into 0–0.80 could indicate spring drought years. This paper has demonstrated the feasibility of applying tree-rings to study the spatial and temporal development of drought in the study area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The earliest pottery in East Asia, as is found in several cave sites in southern China, emerges in Upper Paleolithic contexts dating from the Last Glacial Maximum, ∼20 Ka cal BP. The making of simple pottery vessels in Late Pleistocene East Asia also has been noted in eastern Siberia and Japan but not yet in the Central Plains of China. This paper summarizes the better-reported evidence for early pottery sites across the vast region of China south of the Yangtze River, providing details on two dating projects conducted in the cave sites of Xianrendong (Jiangxi Province) and Yuchanyan (Hunan Province). The excavated contexts in these two caves and a few others clearly indicate that this early pottery was the creation of hunter-gatherers who hunted available game and foraged a variety of plant foods. The nature of the cave occupations is ephemeral, and where the published animal and plant remains allow, we suggest that there were repeated, seasonal occupations. In sum, there is no basis yet to suggest that the making of early pottery in South China marked sedentary or plant-cultivating communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Chinese context, pottery that predates ca. 9000 14 C BP is referred to as “early pottery”. Research on the early pottery of China had been conducted mostly in central and southern China; in contrast, research in northern China has been restricted, and only 5 sites had been discovered to date. Therefore, additional data is needed to foster the progress of research on early pottery in northern China. Given this situation, there is great value in the investigation of the many potsherds associated with microblade industry that have been found in secondary sediments of Layer 5 of the Lingjing site in Henan Province, on the Huang-Huai Plain at the southern end of the North China Plain. Based on AMS 14 C dates (ca. 9.8 cal ka), typological features of the pottery, and features of the other artifacts found at Lingjing, these potsherds are argued by this paper to be examples of early pottery, meaning that Lingjing constitutes a new site yielding early pottery in northern China. Other than these archaeological results, our research on Lingjing pottery has also yielded primary data on stable carbon/nitrogen isotope analysis and starch residue analysis. On the basis of archaeological research on early pottery, including examples from Lingjing, it appears that pottery in northern China generally emerged at the beginning of the Holocene (11.7 cal ka). Therefore, this emergence of pottery was likely related to the rapid warming just after the end of the last glacial period, after the Younger Dryas. The archaeological evidence also indicates increasing utilization of plant resources and diversification of food resources beginning prior to that time, suggesting that early pottery may have played a major role in this change in subsistence strategy in northern China. Archaeological comparisons between the early pottery of northern and central/southern China show substantial differences. Based on its association with microblade technology and on characteristic features such as vessels with a flat base, this early pottery from northern China may be related to that from regions further north, such as the Russian Far East. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The source to sink process of terrigenous sediment from East Asia continent to the marginal seas is crucial for the understanding of land–ocean interaction and marine sedimentary process in the West Pacific continental margin. This paper presents element geochemical and Sr–Nd isotopic records of core CM97 in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary and core MD06–3040 on the inner shelf of East China Sea, aiming to reconstruct the Changjiang sediment source–to–sink transport process and its major controlling mechanism during the Holocene. Driven by the asynchronous evolution of the Indian and East Asian summer monsoon, the provenance of sediments accumulated in the Changjiang Estuary gradually changed from the upper catchment during the late glacial period to the mid–lower valley in the early–mid Holocene. With the intensive agricultural cultivation and urbanization development in the catchment during the late Holocene, the major source of Changjiang sediment into the sea shifted back to the upper catchment, again. The high–frequency ENSO activity may superimpose the effect of human disturbances on sediment source–to–sink process in the late Holocene. Therefore, the Holocene provenance evolution of Changjiang sediments in the East China Sea witnessed the changes of governing sediment erosion process within a large catchment from monsoon climate–dominated to anthropogenic driving. Our study also suggests the strong effect of hydrodynamics in coastal and shelf environments on sedimentary geochemical compositions, which deserves more attention in further sediment provenance study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two hominin teeth and an abundance of faunal remains were recovered from Panlong Cave in Guangdong Province, southern China in 1987. The site has remained largely unknown to the prehistoric community mainly for the lack of reliable chronological constraints. This paper reports high-precision mass spectrometric U-series dating of eight calcite samples from the extant cross-section. Based on the dates on the overlying flowstone layers, the hominin teeth should be definitely older than 292 ± 10 ka. Furthermore, as indicated by the U-series ages on the secondary calcite formations the fossiliferous deposits should be older than 441 ± 18 ka. These dates support the paleontological inference that Panlong Cave may predate the nearby Maba hominin site. The hominin specimens from the site may thus represent an early member of the Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna and one of the oldest non- erectus Middle Pleistocene hominin fossils in southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the long-term change of plant use from the Neolithic to the early Bronze Age (ca. 4800–1000 BC) in central-south Inner Mongolia to reconstruct the transitional process from foraging and low-level food production to agriculture. We employed an interdisciplinary approach, including starch analysis, phytolith analysis, and usewear analysis, correlated to changes in tool types used over time. The results show that this region experienced several waves of social transformations resulting from a combination of local social development, interactions with surrounding regions, and changing climatic conditions. The initial Neolithic development was a result of population expansions from the Central Plain, which introduced domesticated millets and arguably Job's tears to the region. However, cereal-based farming before 3500 BC appears to have been rather insignificant in the economy. Instead, it appears that various underground storage organs (USOs), wild or cultivated, including yams, lily bulbs, snake gourd roots, and occasionally cattail rhizomes, were staple foods. By ca. 3500–3000 BC, subsistence favoring USOs began to give way to cereal-based farming as millets and Job's tears became a more important source of starchy foods. This shift was parallel with a rapid population increase in the region and may be related in part to the need for additional high-calorie foods as would be provided by cereals. During the late Neolithic and the early Bronze Age (ca. 2500–1000 BC), cereal farming appears to have become a dominant starch-based subsistence strategy. In addition to millets and Job's tears, wheat and/or barley may have been introduced to the region. The population in this region may have played a crucial role for the introduction of wheat and/or barley from the steppes to China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The application of phytolith analysis in wetlands to reconstruct the paleoenvironment relies on the research of phytoliths of modern wetland plants. In this paper, 31 selected wetland plant species, belonging to 14 families and 26 genera, were studied. An inventory of phytolith types is provided and type-frequencies are assessed. There are 19 main kinds of phytoliths in this paper: elongate, cross, bilobate, scutiform phytoliths, lanceolate, fusiform phytolith, rondels, achene phytolith, silicified stomata, conical phytoliths, tracheid phytoliths, epidermal cells, trapeziform crenate, cylindrical polylobate, wavy trapezoid, cuneiform bulliform cells, sleeper-type, saddle and silicified hair cells. The taxonomic diagnostic potential of phytoliths (where the silicified stomata are outside) was tested by cluster analysis, which, to a certain extent supported the hypothesis that plant species can be identified on the basis of type, presence and frequency. Conical phytoliths were analyzed separately and results showed that Cyperaceae species can be distinguished by conical phytoliths at the species level. Silicified stomata dimensions were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, which found large disparities in the length and width, and a size category system of silicified stomata dimensions was developed, classifying the major groups into four subgroups. The current study shows that size and shape can be used to assign some of the silicified stomata to their respective genera. The percentage of stomata was also analyzed and the results revealed that there are more stomata in hydrophytes than mesophytes. These results reinforce the utility of using phytoliths as significant indicators for wetland plants and offer the potential of phytolith analysis for paleoenvironment and paleoclimate reconstruction in this region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Land use change has significant impacts on hydrologic processes at the watershed level. This paper combines an empirical land use change model and an event-scale, rainfall-runoff model to quantify the impacts of potential land use change on the storm-runoff generation in the Xitiaoxi basin upstream of Taihu Lake watershed. The HEC–HMS rainfall-runoff model is calibrated and validated for 7 storm events in the study area, and the results show good consistency between the simulated and measured hydrographs at the outlet of the basin with Nash–Sutcliff efficiency ranging from 75% to 95%. Then two future land use scenarios for the year 2050 are forecasted using the CLUE-s model based on the land use of 2002: (1) scenario A with an increase in urban area from 9.2% to 17% of the entire watershed and (2) scenario B with an increase from 9.2% to 14%. Finally, the calibrated HEC–HMS model is applied for these future land use scenarios under designed storms with different recurrence intervals to assess the potential land use impacts on the storm-runoff generation. The results indicate that the future land use scenarios are projected to increase the total runoff as well as the peak discharge, and that the magnitude of increment relates to the expansion rate of built-up area. In the case of rainstorms with recurrence intervals of 10, 50 and 100 years, the simulated peak discharges increase by 3.8%, 2.6% and 2.3% under scenario A, and by 2.8%, 1.9% and 1.7% under scenario B, respectively; while the total runoff is projected to increase by 4.7%, 3.4% and 3.0% under scenario A, and by 3.3%, 2.5% and 2.1% under scenario B. It can be concluded that the sensitivity of hydrologic response to land use change tends to increase as the recurrence interval of rainfall events decreases. Additionally, remarkable spatial variations of the land use changes and its impacts can be observed at the subbasin level, and the most sensitive subbasin is closeby the city. The results of this paper can provide useful support for land use planning and management, and the methods applied here have proved a useful tool for land use impact studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, the relationship between flood/drought change in the Taihu Lake basin (TLB) and ENSO is investigated based on reconstructed flood/drought rank series (FD) and NINO-3.4 SST (DJF) data from 1857 to 2003. With the aid of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method, the paper reveals that FD series and ENSO both contain strong inter-annual, decadal, multi-decadal and centennial signals, and have quite similar periodicities. The EMD method also obtains a monotonic trend for both series: the trend of FD series is upward, which suggests that flood trend is significant, and the trend of NINO-3.4 SST is also upward showing an increase of El Nino events. Continuous wavelet transform obtains similar oscillations for FD and NINO-3.4 SST series with those of EMD method. The results of cross wavelet and wavelet coherence suggest that there was stable in-phase relation between FD and NINO-3.4 SST from 1857 to 1950s, while this in-phase relation is not clear during recent decades. This conclusion is also verified by χ 2 test. These findings indicate weakening linkage between ENSO and flood/drought disasters in the TLB, which must be taken into account in the prediction of flood and drought disasters in the study area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As a part of the INQUA project “A Global Digital Database and Atlas of Quaternary Dune Field and Sand Seas”, 337 age records from the desert dunes of China and 20 from Mongolian dune fields have been compiled in the database. This has opened the possibility of exploring and synthesizing the Quaternary environmental changes in the Asian mid-latitudes dune fields directly from the on-site aeolian sand archives. This paper assessed the sand dune chronologies in terms of geographical distribution, data quality and their implications for late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. The available ages are concentrated mainly in the last 20 ka and many are from the fields of stabilized dunes in the eastern portion of the desert belt in northern China. The number of records and the ratio between the records of stable state and the total records could act as a proxy for the palaeoenvironmental interpretation. The aeolian sand activities deciphered from the chronological data in the eastern portion of the desert belt in northern China show a reasonable correlation with the general global climatic curves at the glacial–interglacial timescales. The limited aeolian sand records from the glacial period, however, hamper the understanding of the detailed features (e.g., forms and processes) of the dune fields during glacial times. In the last two millennia, however, there has not been any meaningful correlation between aeolian dune activity and climatic variation at the centennial time scales, probably due to the complexity of the aeolian sand systems and human interventions. Extending the coverage of dune chronology both temporally and spatially is urgently needed for a full understanding of the environmental changes in the dune fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Danjiangkou Reservoir Region (DRR) in central China has been studied since 1994 and is known for its Large Cutting Tools (LCTs), with similarities to both western and south Asian LCTs of the Acheulean industrial complex. However, the origins of LCT technology in China is a much debated topic. In this paper, we address several of the major arguments used to support an indigenous development for eastern LCTs—greater thickness, a poorer Refinement Index, greater weight, and a preference for cobbles over flakes for LCT blanks. In comparisons based on a large database of Acheulean LCTs, DRR examples are shown to compare well with Acheulean technology in terms of thickness and ‘refinement,’ traits which we here link to raw material shapes and flaking properties. A relatively more frequent use of cobbles for blanks, however, characterizes the DRR and other Chinese LCTs, but there is also regional variability in this feature. Weight, on the other hand, is consistently larger for all Chinese LCTs, including those from DRR, although these fall at the low end of the range. Nevertheless, there are important features in common between Acheulean and Chinese LCTs which indicate either a common origin or periods of admixture culturally and probably physically. These features include the use of large flake blanks, the presence of cleavers in some industries, and the shaping of handaxes by both primary and secondary flaking. The influence of regional cultural traditions on Chinese material, geographic distance and limited migration routes, cultural drift, differences in subsistence ecology, and the demographics of small population sizes seem ultimately to be responsible for the differences, and they should not be used to obscure the commonalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a three-dimensional (3D) quantitative approach to measure the degree of symmetry of handaxes from the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region (DRR), central China. Our analysis provides not only information on the bilateral symmetry, as most previous studies have done, but also on the symmetry of the profile view. The results show that the overall degree of symmetry of handaxes in plan view is much higher than for profile views in the DRR assemblages. However, the range of values for deviation from absolute symmetry for each specimen indicates that both plan and profile views possess great variability in symmetry. Comparisons of handaxes from two terraces (the Middle Pleistocene Terrace 3 and the early Late Pleistocene Terrace 2) demonstrate that the degree of symmetry did not increase over time in these two samples. Both the type of blank and the type of shaping play roles in determining the final degree of symmetry of the DRR handaxes. According to these results, we argue that there is no strictly imposed final symmetrical shape for the DRR handaxes, and the degree of symmetry is most likely related to some basic factors (e.g., bilateral and bifacial shaping and blank types). However, although a mental template for a preferred end product is absent, a conceptual standardization did indeed exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few sites in China have yielded definite evidence for a complex bone technology. In this paper, we present a detailed description and an integrated techno-functional study of seven bone needles from Shuidonggou locality 12 dated to 12.2–11.0 ka BP in North China. Tool production processes conforming to the classic descriptions of formal techniques, including scraping, grinding, perforating, polishing and occasionally heat-treating were streamlined to process osseous materials at this site. In Shuidonggou locality 12, the bone needles manufactured accordingly were used to produce sophisticated and fitted clothing, which helps to counter winter subsistence risk, until they were very blunt or broken or no more appropriate for use, and then were discarded in situ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the spatial–temporal distribution characteristic and evolution tendency of river systems is important in integrated river basin management. In this paper, six indicators were adopted to describe the physical characteristic of river systems. The spatial–temporal evolution of the distribution pattern of river systems in the plain river network region of the Taihu Basin (PRNRTB) during the 1960s–2000s was analyzed using exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and the gravity centre model. The impacts of urbanization were then investigated. Results indicated that the global distribution patterns of box dimension and river density were all statistically significant spatially clustered, and river sinuosity was partially spatially clustered, while water surface ratio, main river area length ratio and river development coefficient were not spatially clustered. Moreover, the water surface ratio was the most stable parameter, box dimension was also relatively stable parameter, but the others were unstable. Meanwhile, the mutual transformations of hot and cold spots of river systems especially water surface ratio, river development coefficient, and river sinuosity were frequent. The hot spot regions were mainly located in the northeast region. In addition, most gravity centres migrated gradually from southeast to northwest with low distance, except those of river development coefficient and river density. These aforementioned differences were caused by the rapid urbanization. Based on the integrated river basin management suggestions for PRNRTB, the river density, box dimension and river sinuosity should be maintained and restored across the whole watershed, and the river conservation and restoration should focus on countermeasures against the reduction of river development coefficient, and main attention should be paid on the river systems conserving and restoring in Haiyan and Haining in southeast PRNRTB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Runoff has been in decline in most river basins in China during the last 50 years. The Weihe River, the largest tributary of the Yellow River, has experienced runoff declines as large as 35% in the last century. Little is known regarding the relative contributions of climate and human impact to the observed hydrological trends in the Weihe River Basin. In the present paper, data from seven hydrological stations and 21 meteorological stations are used to analyze the long-term trends of precipitation, temperature, and streamflow. Using the daily climatic data, a Variable Infiltration capacity (VIC) hydrological model is calibrated and verified to a baseline period from 1956 to 1970. Subsequently, natural runoff for the following years (1971–2006) is reconstructed using the VIC model without considering local human impacts. On the basis of observed meteorological data and runoff and the reconstructed runoff data from 1971 to 2006 in the Weihe River Basin, we quantified long-term trends and decadal and annual variations. The results showed that precipitation and runoff have decreased since the baseline decade. We further estimated the relative contributions of human activity and climate change to the hydrological response of the Weihe River Basin and determined that human activity (such as large-scale soil conservation practices and large irrigation areas) has a greater impact on basin runoff than do climate change factors. The percentages in change of runoff due to climate change ( PC ) are 36%, 28%, 53% and 10% in the 1970s, 1980s 1990s and 2000s, respectively. The percentages in change of runoff caused by human activity ( PH ) are 64%, 72%, 47%, and 90%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the data of five observed meteorological elements (temperature, precipitation, wind speed, sunshine duration, and relative humidity) from 22 stations, the paper investigated the climate variations in northern Xinjiang over the past 50 years. The analytical results showed that both the temperature and the precipitation have increased significantly (0.35 °C/10 y, 11.2 mm/10 y) during the period of 1960–2011. An abrupt change was detected to have occurred in 1986 for temperature and in 1987 for precipitation. Autumn was the season when the temperature increased most dramatically, and winter and autumn were the seasons when the precipitation increased most dramatically. The twenty years after 1990 were the warmest and wettest two decades of the past ∼50 years, but the warming and wetting paces have slowed down during the same period. The results also showed that the mean annual minimum temperature increased more dramatically than the mean annual maximum temperature, resulting in a greatly reduced diurnal range. The reasons or mechanisms for rising trend of temperature during the past 50 years and also for the faster rising rate of the temperature in northern Xinjiang and the adjacent areas have been reasonably explored in published literature. However, the reasons or mechanisms for the rising trend of the past 50-year precipitation in northern Xinjiang and the adjacent areas have not been reasonably explored. This wetting trend has not extended further to the surrounding areas including Republic of Mongolia, major part of North China, and five republics of the former Soviet Union, and the need is thus pressing to explore the reasons or mechanisms behind this relatively “localized” wetting trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty-eight (28) isolated orangutan fossil teeth are reported in this paper, which are newly discovered from Sanhe Cave in Chongzuo Ecological Park of Guangxi in southern China. The geological age is Early Pleistocene, approximately 1.2 Ma, based on the mammal fauna and paleomagnetic stratigraphy. The tooth crown areas are within the range of extant orangutans and subfossil orangutans from Indonesia. However, by comparing the distribution of the crown areas, the sample from Sanhe has crown areas that fall above the mean value of extant orangutans and Holocene orangutans. Morphological differences between the Sanhe, subfossil and extant orangutans are difficult to discern, although the occlusal wrinkles of the postcanine teeth of the fossil orangutans from Sanhe are less numerous but coarser than that of extant orangutans. The fossil orangutans from Sanhe are smaller than those from other caves from Chongzuo Ecological Park, and are slightly larger than samples from Mulanshan Cave. We conclude that the fossil orangutan teeth from the Early Pleistocene of Sanhe Cave are provisionally classified as Pongo pygmaeus weidenreichi , and better evidence is needed to interpret the evolution and taxonomy of the fossil orangutans in southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Prediction in ungauged basins remains a major challenge in hydrology. A key issue in the application of hydrological models to ungauged areas is regional parameterization. This paper presents a regional calibration approach to constructing regional relationships between the parameters of the Snowmelt-based Water Balance Model (SWBM) and catchment characteristics. Data from 38 well-gauged catchments were used to establish regional regression equations of model parameters, and data from an additional four independent catchments were used to test and validate the proposed regional calibration approach. The results indicated that the SWBM performed well in monthly discharge simulations for the 38 well-gauged catchments. The regional relationships of the SWBM parameters derived from the regional calibration approach were found to be highly correlated to catchment characteristics. In addition, the SWBM performed well in discharge simulations for the additional four test sites using only the constructed regional equations to estimate model parameters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper quantifies the contribution of climatic factors to potential evapotranspiration (ET0) under different drought periods by making use of the FAO Penman–Monteith method, linear regression analysis, Mann–Kendall test, and the drought classification derived from the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). ET0 and meteorological data from 93 North China weather stations from 1961 to 2010 located in a semi-arid climate zone were analyzed. The annual ET0 values showed a significantly increasing trend with the aggravation of drought. Results indicated that in drought periods, temperature and sunshine hours had positive effects on the variation of ET0, while other key climatic factors (i.e. effective precipitation, vapor pressure, wind speed, relative humidity) had negative effects on ET0. ET0 was most sensitive to effective precipitation and mean daily temperature, with sensitivity rates of −4.163 and 1.368 respectively. The sensitivities of ET0 decreased over time in the drought period, which was caused by the joint effects of the climatic factors. The decreasing sensitivity of wind speed and relative humidity increased the ET0, and the increase of daily temperature produced the majority of rise in ET0 rates. The decrease of wind speed and relative humidity resulted in positive contributions to ET0. The increase in the sensitivity of precipitation and vapor pressure resulted in strongly decreased ET0, and the decrease of sunshine hours resulted in little change in ET0 rates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]