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Anti-phase relationship between the East Asian winter monsoon and summer monsoon during the Holocene?

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Abstract

The relationship between the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) and East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) during the Holocene is complicated and remains controversial. In this study, analysis of grain size and benthic foraminiferal oxygen isotope, as well as accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dating was performed on a sediment core retrieved from the newly revealed muddy deposit on the northern South China Sea continental shelf. The history of the EAWM and EASM were reconstructed for the last 8200 a BP. Further analysis in conjunction with previously published paleo-climate proxies revealed that the relationship between the EAWM and EASM during the Holocene is more complex than a simple and strict anti-phase one-both negative and positive correlations were identified. The EAWM and EASM are negatively correlated around 7500, 4800, 4200, 3200, and 300 a BP (cooling periods), while positively correlated around 7100, 3700, and 2100 a BP (warm periods). In particular, both the EAWM and EASM intensified during the three positive correlation periods. However, we also found that the relationship between these two sub-monsoons is anti-phase during the final phase of particularly hot periods like Holocene Optimum and Medieval warm period. The possible impact from variations of solar irradiance on the relationship between the EAWM and EASM was also discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Programme on Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction (Nos. GASIGEOGE- 03 and GASI-GEOGE-06-02), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41476047, 41106045, 41506012 and 41206045). We also would like to acknowledge the School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, China, State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, China and Beta Analytic Inc., USA for their technical assistance in the laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou, 310012, P. R. China

    Qian Ge & Fengyou Chu

  2. Key Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou, 310012, P. R. China

    Qian Ge & Fengyou Chu

  3. Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Zuo Xue & Zhengchen Zang

  4. Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Zuo Xue

  5. Coastal Studies Institute, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Zuo Xue

  6. Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, P. R. China

    Zhigang Yao

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  1. Qian Ge
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Ge, Q., Xue, Z., Yao, Z. et al. Anti-phase relationship between the East Asian winter monsoon and summer monsoon during the Holocene?. J. Ocean Univ. China 16, 175–183 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-017-3098-x

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