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The decline of ancient societies has been often associated with hydroclimate instabilities. In this paper, we report phytolith records from the Yangtze River Delta of China, to reconstruct middle and late Holocene climate dynamics, and understand societal impacts. Our findings reveal that the area experienced a consistent decline in temperature and humidity punctuated by several rapid climate shifts. A distinct dry episode from 7000 to 6000 cal yr BP likely developed in response to weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and a southward shift of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), resulting in a weakened East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and a strengthened East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). This dry condition would have favoured the emergence of dryland and facilitated rice cultivation in the lower Yangtze region. Another dry episode at 4500–4000 cal yr BP, which was probably associated with the widespread 4.2 ka climate event, and linked to a further retreat of the ITCZ and highly variable ENSO intensity, led to highly unstable hydroclimate conditions in the region. We argue that this event disrupted social resilience and culminated in the cultural collapse at the end of Liangzhu Culture. • Cooling trend since 8000 cal yr BP in response to decline of summer insolation. • Dry episodes at 7000–6000 and 4500–4000 cal yr BP. • Strength of AMOC and position of ITCZ jointly modulates the EASM. • Neolithic societal resilience shows varied responses to each dry episode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The periodicities of the climate change have long been explored by researchers not only because they reflect the inherent characteristics of the climate systems, but also because they are the foundations of climate-change predictability. This paper reports the periodicities of the hydroclimate variations reconstructed from a lacustrine sequence at Tiancun section (TC section) in the Luoyang Basin within the Central Plains of China and the sequence covers the first half of the Holocene. Our reconstruction shows that the hydroclimate variations at the TC section during the period from ∼10,135 and ∼ 5890 cal. yr BP were well corresponding with the effective soil moisture variations recorded by the stalagmite δ13C sequence at the Magou Cave. This corresponding relationship suggests that when the effective soil moisture increases (i.e., more negative δ13C values), the ratio of evaporation over precipitation in the paleolake at the TC section decreased, resulting in lower CaCO 3 content. It also suggests that when the effective soil moisture increases, more inflowing water entered the paleolake, resulting in coarser sediments. Our reconstruction also shows that the hydroclimate variations or lake level variations in the Luoyang Basin were characterized by millennial-scale quasi-periodicities that were most likely paced by the changes in ITCZ (Inter-tropical Convergent Zone) position and also by alterations in ENSO-like phase. And, both (ITCZ and ENSO) were most likely regulated by the solar activity. Our further analysis shows that the hydroclimate in the Luoyang Basin also experienced centennial-scale variations. Specifically, the grain size data express the following cycles: 692-year, 538-year, 217-year, 170-year and 123-year, all at the 99% confidence level. And, the CaCO 3 content data express the following cycles: 202-year, 184-year, 169-year and 85-year, all at the 99% confidence level. These cycles are approximately coincident with the widely-reported solar-activity cycles. • This paper reports the periodicities of the hydroclimate variations reconstructed from a lacustrine sequence in the Central Plains of China and the sequence covers the first half of the Holocene. • The hydroclimate variations were primarily paced by changes in ITCZ position and also by alterations in ENSO-like phase. And, both (ITCZ and ENSO) were most likely regulated by solar activity. • The centennial-scale hydroclimate variations were approximately coincident with the widely-reported solar-activity cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, more and more record-breaking extreme weather/climate events have been reported from the Asian monsoon region, which have caused tremendous loss of property and lives. In this paper, we analyzed the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) variability during the Holocene and evaluated future climate extremes in monsoonal China from a paleoclimatic view. We found a significant regime transition to more chaotic fluctuations, with enhanced decadal variability of the ASM since 6.6 ka BP. We suggested the gradual intensification of ENSO was responsible for enhancing the ASM variability since the late mid-Holocene. If the observed relationship of monsoon mean intensity, ENSO and decadal variability of the ASM in the past 11.2 ka continue to exist, enhanced decadal variability of ASM in the future warming world will be expected. As a result, the intensification of daily precipitation extremes, superimposed on enhanced decadal variability of ASM, might make the record-breaking extremes more frequent in the future, increasing the risk of climate-related disasters in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]