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Stable isotope paleoaltimetry has provided unprecedented insights into the topographic histories of many of the world's highest mountain ranges. However, on the Tibetan Plateau (TP), stable isotopes from paleosols generally yield much higher paleoaltitudes than those based on fossils. It is therefore essential when attempting to interpret accurately this region's paleoaltitudes that the empirical calibrations of local stable isotopes and the relations between them are established. Additionally, it is vital that careful estimations be made when estimate how different isotopes sourced from different areas may have been influenced by different controls. We present here 29 hydrogen isotopic values for leaf wax-derived n-alkanes (i.e., D values, and abundance-weighted average δD values of C and C) in surface soils, as well as the δD values of soil water ( δD) samples (totaling 22) from Mount Longmen (LM), on the eastern TP (altitude ~0.8-4.0 km above sea level (asl), a region climatically affected by the East Asian Monsoon (EAM). We compared our results with published data from Mount Gongga (GG). In addition, 47 river water samples, 55 spring water samples, and the daily and monthly summer precipitation records (from May to October, 2015) from two precipitation observation stations were collected along the GG transect for δD analysis. LM soil D values showed regional differences and responded strongly to altitude, varying from-160‰ to-219‰, with an altitudinal lapse rate (ALR) of-18‰ km ( R =0.83; p<0.0001; n=29). These D values appeared more enriched than those from the GG transect by ~40‰. We found that both the climate and moisture sources led to the differences observed in soil D values between the LM and GG transects. We found that, as a general rule, ε , ε and ε values (i.e., the isotopic fractionation of D corresponding to δD, δD and δD) increased with increasing altitude along both the LM and GG transects (up to 34‰and 50‰, respectively). Basing its research on a comparative study of D, δD, δD( δD) and δD, this paper discusses the effects of moisture recycling, glacier-fed meltwater, relative humidity ( RH), evapotranspiration ( ET), vegetation cover, latitude, topography and/or other factors on ε values. Clearly, if ε values at higher altitudes are calculated using smaller ε values from lower altitudes, the calculated paleowater δD values are going to be more depleted than the actual δD values, and any paleoaltitude would therefore be overestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific issues relevant to interactions between aerosols and the Asian monsoon climate were discussed and evaluated at the 33rd 'Forum of Science and Technology Frontiers' sponsored by the Department of Earth Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Major results are summarized in this paper. The East Asian monsoon directly affects aerosol transport and provides a favorable background circulation for the occurrence and development of persistent fog-haze weather. Spatial features of aerosol transport and distribution are also influenced by the East Asian monsoon on seasonal, inter-annual, and decadal scales. High moisture levels in monsoon regions also affect aerosol optical and radiative properties. Observation analyses indicate that cloud physical properties and precipitation are significantly affected by aerosols in China with aerosols likely suppressing local light and moderate rainfall, and intensifying heavy rainfall in southeast coastal regions. However, the detailed mechanisms behind this pattern still need further exploration. The decadal variation in the East Asian monsoon strongly affects aerosol concentrations and their spatial patterns. The weakening monsoon circulation in recent decades has likely helped to increase regional aerosol concentrations. The substantial increase in Chinese air pollutants has likely decreased the temperature difference between land and sea, which favors intensification of the weakening monsoon circulation. Constructive suggestions regarding future studies on aerosols and monsoons were proposed in this forum and key uncertain issues were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's Loess Plateau is located at the edge of the Asian summer monsoon in a transition zone of climate and ecology. In the Loess Plateau, climate and environments change along with space, which has an obvious impact on the spatial distribution of surface energy fluxes. Because of scarce land-surface observation sites and short observation time in this area, previous studies have failed to fully understand the land-surface energy balance characteristics over the entire the Loess Plateau and their effect mechanisms. In this paper, we first test the simulation ability of the Community Land Model (CLM) model by comparing its simulated data with observed data. Based on the simulation data for the Loess Plateau over the past thirty years, we then analyze the spatial distribution of surface energy fluxes and compare the pattern differences between the area averages for the driest year and wettest year. Furthermore, we analyze the relationship between the spatial distribution of the components of the surface energy balance with longitude, latitude, altitude, precipitation and temperature. The main results are as follows: the spatial distribution of surface energy fluxes are significantly different, with the surface net radiation and sensible heat flux increasing from south to north and latent heat flux and soil heat flux decreasing from southeast to northwest. The sensible heat flux at the driest point is nearly twice as high as that at the wettest point, whereas the latent heat flux and soil heat flux at the driest point are half as much as that at the wettest point. The impact of variations of annual precipitation on the components of the surface energy balance is also obvious, and the maximum magnitude of the changes to the sensible heat flux and latent heat flux is nearly 30%. To a certain extent, geographical factors (including longitude, latitude, and altitude) and climate factors (including temperature and precipitation) affect the surface energy fluxes. However, the surface net radiation is more closely related to latitude and altitude, sensible heat flux is more closely related to the monsoon rainfall and latitude, and latent heat flux and soil heat flux are more closely related to the monsoon rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term highly accurate surface soil moisture data of TP (Tibetan Plateau) are important to the research of Asian monsoon and global atmospheric circulation. However, due to the sparse in-situ networks, the lack of soil moisture observations has seriously hindered the progress of climate change researches of TP. Based on the Dual-Channel soil moisture retrieval algorithm and the satellite observation data of AMSR-E (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS), we have produced the surface soil moisture data of TP from 2003 to 2010 and analyzed the seasonal characteristic of the soil moisture spatial distribution and its multi-year changing trend in area of TP. Compared to the in-situ observations, the accuracy of the soil moisture retrieved by the proposed algorithm is evaluated. The evaluation result shows that the new soil moisture product has a better accuracy in the TP region than the official product of AMSR-E. The spatial distribution of the annual mean values of soil moisture and the seasonal variations of the monthly-averaged soil moisture are analyzed. The results show that the soil moisture variations in space and time are consistent with the precipitation distribution and the water vapor transmission path in TP. Based on the new soil moisture product, we also analyzed the spatial distribution of the changing trend of multi-year soil moisture in TP. From the comparisons with the precipitation changing trend obtained from the meteorological observation sites in TP, we found that the spatial pattern of the changing trend of soil moisture coincides with the precipitation as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monsoon and arid regions in the Asia-Africa-Australia (A-A-A) realm occupy more than 60% of the total area of these continents. Geological evidence showed that significant changes occurred to the A-A-A environments of the monsoon and arid regions, the land-ocean configuration in the Eastern Hemisphere, and the topography of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) in the Cenozoic. Motivated by this background, numerical experiments for 5 typical geological periods during the Cenozoic were conducted using a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model to systemically explore the formations and evolutionary histories of the Cenozoic A-A-A monsoon and arid regions under the influences of continental drift and plateau uplift. Results of the numerical experiments indicate that the timings and causes of the formations of monsoon and arid regions in the A-A-A realm were very different. The northern and southern African monsoons existed during the mid-Paleocene, while the South Asian monsoon appeared in the Eocene after the Indian Subcontinent moved into the tropical Northern Hemisphere. In contrast, the East Asian monsoon and northern Australian monsoon were established much later in the Miocene. The establishment of the tropical monsoons in northern and southern Africa, South Asia, and Australia were determined by both the continental drift and seasonal migration of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), while the position and height of the TP were the key factor for the establishment of the East Asian monsoon. The presence of the subtropical arid regions in northern and southern Africa, Asia, and Australia depended on the positions of the continents and the control of the planetary scale subtropical high pressure zones, while the arid regions in the Arabian Peninsula and West Asia were closely related to the retreat of the Paratethys Sea. The formation of the mid-latitude arid region in the Asian interior, on the other hand, was the consequence of the uplift of the TP. These results from this study provide insight to the important roles played by the earth's tectonic boundary conditions in the formations and evolutions of regional climates during geological times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A long-term perspective on the spatial variation of the northern boundary of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and the related physical mechanisms is important for understanding past climate change in Asia and for predicting future changes. However, most of the meteorological definitions of the EASM northern boundary do not correspond well to the actual geographical environment, which is problematic for paleoclimatic research. Here, we use monthly CMAP and GPCP precipitation data to define a new EASM northern boundary index by using the concept of the global monsoon, which is readily applicable to paleoclimatic research. The results show that the distribution of the 2 mm day precipitation isoline (i.e., 300 mm precipitation) has a good relationship with the spatial distribution of modern land cover types, the transitional climate zone and the potential natural vegetation types, in China. The locations of the precipitation isolines also correspond well to the locations of major shifts in wind direction. These results suggest that the 2 mm day isoline has a clear physical significance since the climatic, ecological, and geographical boundary can be used as the northern boundary index of the EASM (which we call the climatological northern boundary index). The index depicts the northeast-southwest orientation of the climatological (1981−2010) EASM northern boundary, along the eastern part of the Qilian Mountains-southern foothills of the Helan Mountains-Daqing Mountains-western margin of the Greater Khingan Range, from west to east across Northwest and Northeast China. The interannual change of the EASM northern boundary from 1980 to 2015 covers the central part of Gansu, the northern part of Ningxia, the eastern part of Inner Mongolia and the northeastern region in China. It can extend northward to the border between China and Mongolia and retreat southward to Shangdong-central Henan. There is a 200−700 km fluctuation range of the interannual EASM northern boundaries around the locations of the climatological northern boundary. In addition, the spatial variation of the interannual EASM northern boundaries gradually increases from west to east, whereas the trend of north-south fluctuations maintains a roughly consistent location in different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian summer monsoon (ASM) anticyclone isolates upper-tropospheric air within the interior of the anticyclone from the outside. Forward trajectory simulations in previous studies have shown that much of the air within the ASM anticyclone can be trapped for up to two or three weeks, not only laterally but also vertically. Here, we investigate the locations of exit points for upper-tropospheric air trapped within the ASM anticyclone, especially the preferred tropopause-crossing locations, using a 3-dimensional trajectory model. Forward trajectory calculations show two-thirds of the air crosses the tropopause at the southern part of the anticyclone via upward diabatic transport. Furthermore, some air crosses at northern and eastern parts via isentropic shedding, but air crosses rarely through the center of the anticyclone. However, calculations also show that many stratospheric parcels within the anticyclone are traceable from the upper-tropospheric anticyclone. This implies they cannot break through the tropopause directly overhead but instead enter the stratosphere via other entry points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'westerlies-dominated climatic regime' describes the pattern of precipitation/moisture variations between westerlies-dominated arid Central Asia (ACA) and mid-latitude monsoon-dominated Asia on decadal to multi-millennial time scales. However, no attempts have been made to define its core region and the possible physical mechanisms responsible during the period of instrumental observations. The present study investigates the spatiotemporal variations of summer and winter precipitation on interannual to decadal time scales over mid-latitudes of the Eurasian continent using Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis. Our results suggest the existence of an opposing pattern of summer precipitation variations between ACA and mid-latitude monsoon-dominated Asia and Mediterranean on decadal time scales. Based on these results, the core region influenced by the westerlies is outlined, including arid central Asia and Xinjiang in China (36°-54°N, 50°-90°E). By using monthly NCEP-NCAR reanalysis, the relationship between the 'westerlies-dominated climatic regime' and atmospheric circulation were also analyzed. The combination of the zonal climatic teleconnection pattern and anomalous Indian summer monsoon precipitation (ISMP) causes the precipitation characteristics of the 'westerlies-dominated climatic regime' precipitation pattern. In addition, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) may also have an important effect on the 'westerlies-dominated climatic regime'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) links upper ocean waters of the west Pacific and Indian Ocean, modulates heat and fresh water budgets between these oceans, and in turn plays an important role in global climate change. The climatic phenomena such as the East Asian monsoon and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) exert a strong influence on flux, water properties and vertical stratification of the ITF. This work studied sediments of Core SO18462 that was retrieved from the outflow side of the ITF in the Timor Sea in order to investigate response of the ITF to monsoon and ENSO activities since the last glacial. Based on Mg/Ca ratios and oxygen isotopes in shells of planktonic foraminiferal surface and thermocline species, seawater temperatures and salinity of both surface and thermocline waters and vertical thermal gradient of the ITF outflow were reconstructed. Records of Core SO18462 were then compared with those from Core 3cBX that was recovered from the western Pacific warm pool (WPWP). The results displayed that similar surface waters occurred in the Timor Sea and the WPWP during the last glacial. Since ∼16 ka, an apparent difference in surface waters between these two regions exists in salinity, indicated by much fresher waters in the Timor Sea than in the WPWP. In contrast, there is little change in difference of sea surface temperatures (SSTs). With regard to thermocline temperature (TT), it increased until ∼11.5 ka since the last glacial, and then remained an overall unchanged trend in the WPWP but continuously decreased in the Timor Sea towards the late Holocene. Since ∼6 ka, thermocline waters have tended to be close to each other in between the Timor Sea and the WPWP. It is indicated that intensified precipitation due to East Asian monsoon and possible ENSO cold phase significantly freshened surface waters over the Indonesian Seas, impeding the ITF surface flow and in turn having enhanced thermocline flow during the Holocene. Consequently, thermocline water of the ITF outflow was cooling and thermocline was shoaling towards the late Holocene. It is speculated that, in addition to strengthening of East Asian winter monsoon, increasing ENSO events during the late Holocene likely played an important role in influencing thermocline depth of the ITF outflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sedimentary sequence and landscape of the Hobq desert was observed through twelve profiles along five N-S sections extending through the entire desert. Aeolian sands were found to overlie the alluvial, diluvial, and lacustrine sediments in this desert. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating results were obtained from post-IR OSL signals of quartz fractions of sand samples at the bottom of sand dunes and hills by using the Double-SAR protocol. The OSL ages reveal that the latest sand accumulation began around 19 ka in the northwestern part and 9 ka in the eastern part of the Hobq Desert. Around 7 ka, the sand accumulation was strengthened and extended southward and northward 2 ka to develop the present desert landscape. Our study suggests that the aeolian sand accumulation around 19, 9 and 7 ka resulted from the weakening of the Asian summer monsoon over this region. However, the rapid development of the present Hobq desert landscape since 2 ka was likely triggered by human activities in this desert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we use harmonic analyses to examine seasonal variations of China land rainfall, low-level winds, and atmospheric heating over East Asia during spring to summer and the associated subtropical summer monsoon activities. Our results indicate that the South China spring rainfall (SCSR) in March is the prophase of East Asian sub-tropical summer monsoon (EASSM), and the onset of EASSM and China summer rainy season starts in early April, characterized by the enhanced rainfall in South China and the seasonal reverse of zonal land-sea thermal contrast in sub-tropical East Asia. The EASSM onset is earlier than that of South China Sea summer monsoon, and it is active in east of 100°E and north of 20°N. Our analyses suggest that the subsequent heating appears over India-China Peninsula in March and South China in April and causes the low-level atmospheric warming and the zonal land-sea thermal contrast seasonal reverse in East Asian subtropics. The atmospheric heating over South China is the main force to drive the southwesterly winds, updrafts and strengthen the summer precipitation in South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]