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Asian monsoon rainfall variation during the Pliocene forced by global temperature change

Author

Listed:
  • Hanlin Wang

    (Nanjing University)

  • Huayu Lu

    (Nanjing University
    Jiangsu Provincial Collaborative Innovation Centre of Climate Change)

  • Lin Zhao

    (Nanjing University)

  • Hongyan Zhang

    (Nanjing University)

  • Fang Lei

    (Nanjing University)

  • Yichao Wang

    (Nanjing University)

Abstract

The Asian monsoon variations under global temperature changes during the Pliocene are still debated. Here we use a sedimentary record of phytoliths (plant silica) from the Weihe Basin, central China, to explore the history of C4 grasses and quantitatively reconstruct the Asian monsoon climate since the late Miocene. Our results show that C4 grasses have been a dominant grassland component since ~11.0 Ma. A subsequent marked decrease in warm- and humid-adapted C4 grasses and an increase in cool- and dry-adapted C3 grasses occurred in the Pliocene, ~4.0 Ma; the phytolith-based quantitative reconstruction of mean annual precipitation marked a decrease from 800~1673 mm to 443~900 mm, indicating a reduction in Asian monsoon rainfall in the Pliocene. Our newly obtained records conflict with the hypothesis that the growth of the Tibetan Plateau strengthened the Asian monsoon rainfall. Nevertheless, they emphasize the importance of global temperature as a determinant of Pliocene Asian monsoon variations.

Suggested Citation

  • Hanlin Wang & Huayu Lu & Lin Zhao & Hongyan Zhang & Fang Lei & Yichao Wang, 2019. "Asian monsoon rainfall variation during the Pliocene forced by global temperature change," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-13338-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13338-4
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    Cited by:

    1. Hong Ao & Eelco J. Rohling & Ran Zhang & Andrew P. Roberts & Ann E. Holbourn & Jean-Baptiste Ladant & Guillaume Dupont-Nivet & Wolfgang Kuhnt & Peng Zhang & Feng Wu & Mark J. Dekkers & Qingsong Liu & , 2021. "Global warming-induced Asian hydrological climate transition across the Miocene–Pliocene boundary," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Feng Cheng & Carmala Garzione & Xiangzhong Li & Ulrich Salzmann & Florian Schwarz & Alan M. Haywood & Julia Tindall & Junsheng Nie & Lin Li & Lin Wang & Benjamin W. Abbott & Ben Elliott & Weiguo Liu &, 2022. "Alpine permafrost could account for a quarter of thawed carbon based on Plio-Pleistocene paleoclimate analogue," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. Ran Feng & Tripti Bhattacharya & Bette L. Otto-Bliesner & Esther C. Brady & Alan M. Haywood & Julia C. Tindall & Stephen J. Hunter & Ayako Abe-Ouchi & Wing-Le Chan & Masa Kageyama & Camille Contoux & , 2022. "Past terrestrial hydroclimate sensitivity controlled by Earth system feedbacks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Xiangzhong Luo & Haoran Zhou & Tin W. Satriawan & Jiaqi Tian & Ruiying Zhao & Trevor F. Keenan & Daniel M. Griffith & Stephen Sitch & Nicholas G. Smith & Christopher J. Still, 2024. "Mapping the global distribution of C4 vegetation using observations and optimality theory," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.

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