Alternating influences of the Westerlies and Indian Summer Monsoon on the hydroclimate of the source region of the Yarlung Tsangpo over past 4000 yr

Abstract

The Yarlung Tsangpo, the longest river in the southern Tibetan Plateau (TP), has attracted much research attention aimed at understanding the factors controlling its modern hydrology and possible future discharge in the context of ongoing climate change. However, partly due to the complex regional climatic background, no consistent conclusions have been reached, especially for its upper reaches. Paleohydrological reconstructions of the source region of the Yarlung Tsangpo can potentially improve our understanding of the history of humidity and its response to climatic variability. In this study, we used a 97 cm gravity core from Gongzhu Co to reconstruct the hydrology change during the late Holocene. The core was dated using AMS ¹⁴C and Pb/Cs methods, and we used measurements of element contents (determined by high-resolution XRF scanning), grain size, IC/TOC, and magnetic susceptibility to reconstruct hydroclimatic changes in the source of the Yarlung Tsangpo watershed since ~4000 yr ago. Combined with a modern meteorological data set, we found that PC1 of the XRF data, the Ca/(Fe + Ti) ratio, and EM1 of the grain size data were indicative of changes in humidity. Our records demonstrate a wet interval during ~4–1.7 ka BP (ka = 1000 yr, BP represents years before 1950 AD), followed by a dry period during since ~1 ka BP. Comparison with independent regional paleoclimatic records revealed shifts in the dominant factors controlling humidity. The wet interval during ~4–1.7 ka BP was coeval with a strengthened Westerlies, implying a dominant moisture supply from northern high latitudes. However, the extremely low values of Ca/(Fe + Ti) ratio during ~4–2.5 ka BP indicate potential glacial freshwater source, which is corroborated by the concurrent high magnetic susceptibility values and increased grain size. The rapid drying trend during ~1.7–1 ka BP suggests a switch in moisture supply from the Westerlies to the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). We attribute the drought conditions after ~1 ka BP to a weakened ISM, although a Westerlies influence and the potential effect of high temperatures on evaporation cannot be excluded. We suggest that future hydroclimatic research in this region should attempt to distinguish the individual moisture contributions of the ISM and the Westerlies during the last millennium.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

late Holocene / humidity changes / Westerlies / ISM / Yarluang Tsangpo

References

[1] Aizen E M, Aizen V B, Takeuchi N, Mayewski P A, Grigholm B, Joswiak D R, Nikitin S A, Fujita K, Nakawo M, Zapf A, Schwikowski M (2016). Abrupt and moderate climate changes in the mid-latitudes of Asia during the Holocene.J Glaciol, 62(233): 411–439

[2] An Z, Colman S M, Zhou W, Li X, Brown E T, Jull A J T, Cai Y, Huang Y, Lu X, Chang H, Song Y, Sun Y, Xu H, Liu W, Jin Z, Liu X, Cheng P, Liu Y, Ai L, Li X, Liu X, Yan L, Shi Z, Wang X, Wu F, Qiang X, Dong J, Lu F, Xu X (2012). Interplay between the Westerlies and Asian monsoon recorded in Lake Qinghai sediments since 32 ka.Sci Rep, 2(1): 619

[3] Appleby P G, Oldfield F (1978). The calculation of lead-210 dates assuming a constant rate of supply of unsupported ²¹⁰Pb to the sediment.Catena, 5(1): 1–8

[4] Blaauw M, Christen J A (2011). Flexible paleoclimate age-depth models using an autoregressive gamma process.Bayesian Anal, 6(3): 457–474

[5] Brown E T, Johnson T C, Scholz C A, Cohen A S, King J W (2007). Abrupt change in tropical African climate linked to the bipolar seesaw over the past 55000 years.Geophys Res Lett, 34(20): L20702

[6] Cai Y J, Zhang H W, Cheng H, An Z S, Edwards R L, Wang X F, Tan L C, Liang F Y, Wang J, Kelly M (2012). The Holocene Indian monsoon variability over the southern Tibetan Plateau and its teleconnections.Earth Planet Sci Lett, 335–336: 135–144

[7] Chen F H, Yu Z C, Yang M L, Ito E, Wang S M, Madsen D B, Huang X Z, Zhao Y, Sato T, Birks H J B, Boomer I, Chen J H, An C B, Wünnemann B (2008). Holocene moisture evolution in arid central Asia and its out-of-phase relationship with Asian monsoon history.Quat Sci Rev, 27(3–4): 351–364

[8] Chen F, Feng J L, Hu H P, Zhang J F, Gao S P, Liu X M (2017). Potential forcing mechanisms of Holocene lake-level changes at Nam Co, Tibetan Plateau: inferred from the stable isotopic composition of shells of the gastropod Radix.Holocene, 27(4): 594–604

[9] Chen J H, Rao Z G, Liu J B, Huang W, Feng S, Dong G H, Hu Y, Xu Q H, Chen F H (2016). On the timing of the East Asian summer monsoon maximum during the Holocene–does the speleothem oxygen isotope record reflect monsoon rainfall variability?.Sci China Earth Sci, 59(12): 2328–2338

[10] Cohen A S (2003). Paleolimnology: the History and Evolution of Lake Systems. New York: Oxford University Press

[11] Demske D, Tarasov P E, Wunnemann B, Riedel F (2009). Late glacial and Holocene vegetation, Indian monsoon and westerly circulation in the Trans-Himalaya recorded in the lacustrine pollen sequence from Tso Kar, Ladakh, NW India.Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol, 279(3–4): 172–185

[12] Dietze E, Hartmann K, Diekmann B, Ijmker J, Lehmkuhl F, Opitz S, Stauch G, Wünnemann B, Borchers A (2012). An end-member algorithm for deciphering modern detrital processes from lake sediments of Lake Donggi Cona, NE Tibetan Plateau, China.Sediment Geol, 243–244: 169–180

[13] Dietze E, Maussion F, Ahlborn M, Diekmann B, Hartmann K, Henkel K, Kasper T, Lockot G, Opitz S, Haberzettl T (2014). Sediment transport processes across the Tibetan Plateau inferred from robust grain-size end members in lake sediments.Clim Past, 10(1): 91–106

[14] Gasse F, Fontes J C, VanCampo E, Wei K (1996). Holocene environmental changes in Bangong Co basin (western Tibet). 4. Discussion and conclusions.Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol, 120(1–2): 79–92

[15] Guyard H, Chapron E, St-Onge G, Anselmetti F S, Arnaud F, Magand O, Francus P, Melieres M A (2007). High-altitude varve records of abrupt environmental changes and mining activity over the last 4000 years in the Western French Alps (Lake Bramant, Grandes Rousses Massif).Quat Sci Rev, 26(19–21): 2644–2660

[16] He J, Yang K, Tang W, Lu H, Qin J, Chen Y, Li X (2020). The first high-resolution meteorological forcing dataset for land process studies over China.Sci Data, 7(1): 25

[17] He Y X, Zhao C, Liu Z H, Wang H Y, Liu W G, Yu Z C, Zhao Y, Ito E (2016). Holocene climate controls on water isotopic variations on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.Chem Geol, 440: 239–247

[18] Hou J Z, D’Andrea W J, Liu Z H (2012). The influence of C-14 reservoir age on interpretation of paleolimnological records from the Tibetan Plateau.Quat Sci Rev, 48: 67–79

[19] Hou J Z, D’Andrea W J, Wang M D, He Y, Liang J (2017a). Influence of the Indian monsoon and the subtropical jet on climate change on the Tibetan Plateau since the late Pleistocene.Quat Sci Rev, 163: 84–94

[20] Hou J Z, Tian Q, Liang J, Wang M D, He Y (2017b). Climatic implications of hydrologic changes in two lake catchments on the central Tibetan Plateau since the last glacial.J Paleolimnol, 58(2): 257–273

[21] Huang X Z, Chen F H, Fan Y X, Yang M L (2009). Dry late-glacial and early Holocene climate in arid central Asia indicated by lithological and palynological evidence from Bosten Lake, China.Quat Int, 194(1–2): 19–27

[22] Hudson A M, Quade J, Huth T E, Lei G L, Cheng H, Edwards L R, Olsen J W, Zhang H C (2015). Lake level reconstruction for 12.8–2.3 ka of the Ngangla Ring Tso closed-basin lake system, southwest Tibetan Plateau.Quat Res, 83(1): 66–79

[23] Huth T, Hudson A M, Quade J, Lei G L, Zhang H C (2015). Constraints on paleoclimate from 11.5 to 5.0 ka from shoreline dating and hydrologic budget modeling of Baqan Tso, southwestern Tibetan Plateau.Quat Res, 83(1): 80–93

[24] Jiang Q, Meng B, Wang Z, Qian P, Zheng J, Jiang J, Zhao C, Hou J, Dong G, Shen J, Liu W, Liu Z, Chen F (2022). Exceptional terrestrial warmth around 4200–2800 years ago in northwest China.Sci Bull (Beijing), 67(4): 427–436

[25] Jin H L, Dong G R, Zhang C L (2000). Deposition features and causes of loess in Yarlung Zangbo River Valley area . J Desert Res, 20: 14–19 (in Chinese)

[26] Jin Z D, Li F C, Cao J J, Wang S M, Yu J M (2006). Geochemistry of Daihai Lake sediments, Inner Mongolia, north China: implications for provenance, sedimentary sorting, and catchment weathering.Geomorphology, 80(3–4): 147–163

[27] Kasper T, Wang J B, Schwalb A, Daut G, Plessen B, Zhu L P, Mausbacher R, Haberzettl T (2021). Precipitation dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau during the Late Quaternary–Hydroclimatic sedimentary proxies versus lake level variability.Global Planet Change, 205: 103594

[28] Kathayat G, Cheng H, Sinha A, Yi L, Li X, Zhang H, Li H, Ning Y, Edwards R L (2017). The Indian monsoon variability and civilization changes in the Indian subcontinent.Sci Adv, 3(12): e1701296

[29] Kylander M E, Ampel L, Wohlfarth B, Veres D (2011). High-resolution X-ray fluorescence core scanning analysis of Les Echets (France) sedimentary sequence: new insights from chemical proxies.J Quaternary Sci, 26(1): 109–117

[30] Leipe C, Demske D, Tarasov P E (2014). A Holocene pollen record from the northwestern Himalayan lake Tso Moriri: implications for palaeoclimatic and archaeological research.Quat Int, 348: 93–112

[31] Li C G, Wang M D, Liu W G, Lee S Y, Chen F H, Hou J Z (2021). Quantitative estimates of Holocene glacier meltwater variations on the Western Tibetan Plateau.Earth Planet Sci Lett, 559: 116766

[32] Li X M, Yan H, Fan B W, Zhang C G, Xing W (2021). Climatic changes during the last two millennia on the southern Tibetan Plateau based on lake sediment and its forcing mechanisms.J Xinyang Normal U (Nat Sci Ed), 34(4): 584–588

[33] Ling Z Y, Li J S, Jin J H, Wang J P, Kong F C, Chen L (2021). Geochemical characteristics and provenance of aeolian sediments in the Yarlung Tsangpo valley, southern Tibetan Plateau.Environ Earth Sci, 80(18): 623

[34] Ling Z Y, Yang S L, Wang X, Wang J P, Xia D S, Chen F H (2020). Spatial-temporal differentiation of eolian sediments in the Yarlung Tsangpo catchment, Tibetan Plateau, and response to global climate change since the Last Glaciation.Geomorphology, 357: 107104

[35] Liu B, Xu H, Lan J H, Sheng E G, Che S, Zhou X Y (2014). Biogenic silica contents of Lake Qinghai sediments and its environmental significance.Front Earth Sci, 8(4): 573–581

[36] Liu X J, Wang Y X, Miao X D, Ou X J, Zheng C Y, Xu Y T, Lai Z P (2022). Holocene lake level variations of Dagze Co in central Tibetan Plateau revealed by OSL dates on palaeoshorelines.Catena, 219: 106645

[37] Lu Y B, Fritz S C, Stone J R, Krause T R, Whitlock C, Brown E T, Benes J V (2017). Trends in catchment processes and lake evolution during the late-glacial and early- to mid-Holocene inferred from high-resolution XRF data in the Yellowstone region.J Paleolimnol, 58(4): 551–569

[38] Lutz A F, Immerzeel W W, Shrestha A B, Bierkens M F P (2014). Consistent increase in High Asia’s runoff due to increasing glacier melt and precipitation.Nat Clim Chang, 4(7): 587–592

[39] Ma L F (2002) Gological Atlas of China. Beijing: Geology Press (in Chinese)

[40] Ma Q F, Zhu L P, Lu X M, Guo Y, Ju J T, Wang J B, Wang Y, Tang L Y (2014). Pollen-inferred Holocene vegetation and climate histories in Taro Co, southwestern Tibetan Plateau.Chin Sci Bull, 59(31): 4101–4114

[41] Mischke S, Zhang C J (2010). Holocene cold events on the Tibetan Plateau.Global Planet Change, 72(3): 155–163

[42] Mishra P K, Anoop A, Schettler G, Prasad S, Jehangir A, Menzel P, Naumann R, Yousuf A R, Basavaiah N, Deenadayalan K, Wiesner M G, Gaye B (2015). Reconstructed late Quaternary hydrological changes from Lake Tso Moriri, NW Himalaya.Quat Int, 371: 76–86

[43] Mueller A D, Islebe G A, Hillesheim M B, Grzesik D A, Anselmetti F S, Ariztegui D, Brenner M, Curtis J H, Hodell D A, Venz K A (2009). Climate drying and associated forest decline in the lowlands of northern Guatemala during the late Holocene.Quat Res, 71(2): 133–141

[44] Nishimura M, Matsunaka T, Morita Y, Watanabe T, Nakamura T, Zhu L P, Nara F W, Imai A, Izutsu Y, Hasuike K (2014). Paleoclimatic changes on the southern Tibetan Plateau over the past 19000 years recorded in Lake Pumoyum Co, and their implications for the southwest monsoon evolution.Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol, 396: 75–92

[45] Pan B L, Yi C L, Jiang T, Dong G C, Hu G, Jin Y (2012). Holocene lake-level changes of Linggo Co in central Tibet.Quat Geochronol, 10: 117–122

[46] Paterson G A, Heslop D (2015). New methods for unmixing sediment grain size data.Geochem Geophys Geosyst, 16(12): 4494–4506

[47] Schiemann R, Lüthi D, Schär C (2009). Seasonality and interannual variability of the westerly jet in the Tibetan Plateau region.J Clim, 22(11): 2940–2957

[48] Snowball I, Sandgren P, Petterson G (1999). The mineral magnetic properties of an annually laminated Holocene lake-sediment sequence in northern Sweden.Holocene, 9(3): 353–362

[49] Su F, Zhang L, Ou T, Chen D, Yao T, Tong K, Qi Y (2016). Hydrological response to future climate changes for the major upstream river basins in the Tibetan Plateau.Global Planet Change, 136: 82–95

[50] Wang C, Wang H L, Song G, Zheng M P (2019). Grain size of surface sediments in Selin Co (central Tibet) linked to water depth and offshore distance.J Paleolimnol, 61(2): 217–229

[51] Wang R L, Scarpitta S C, Zhang S C, Zheng M P (2002). Later Pleistocene/Holocene climate conditions of Qinghai–Xizhang Plateau (Tibet) based on carbon and oxygen stable isotopes of Zabuye Lake sediments.Earth Planet Sci Lett, 203(1): 461–477

[52] Wang R, Zhang Y Z, Wünnemann B, Biskaborn B K, Yin H, Xia F, Zhou L F, Diekmann B (2015). Linkages between Quaternary climate change and sedimentary processes in Hala Lake, northern Tibetan Plateau, China.J Asian Earth Sci, 107: 140–150

[53] Wang S M, Dou H S (1998). Lake in China. Beijing: Science Press (in Chinese)

[54] Wang T, Zhao Y T, Xu C Y, Ciais P, Liu D, Yang H, Piao S L, Yao T D (2021). Atmospheric dynamic constraints on Tibetan Plateau freshwater under Paris climate targets.Nat Clim Chang, 11(3): 219–225

[55] Wünnemann B, Demske D, Tarasov P, Kotlia B S, Reinhardt C, Bloemendal J, Diekmann B, Hartmann K, Krois J, Riedel F, Arya N (2010). Hydrological evolution during the last 15 kyr in the Tso Kar lake basin (Ladakh, India), derived from geomorphological, sedimentological and palynological records.Quat Sci Rev, 29(9–10): 1138–1155

[56] Xu X D, Lu C G, Shi X H, Gao S T (2008). World water tower: an atmospheric perspective.Geophys Res Lett, 35(20): L20815

[57] Yao T D, Bolch T, Chen D L, Gao J, Immerzeel W, Piao S L, Su F G, Thompson L, Wada Y, Wang L, Wang T, Wu G J, Xu B Q, Yang W, Zhang G Q, Zhao P (2022). The imbalance of the Asian water tower.Nat Rev Earth Environ, 3(10): 618–632

[58] Zhu L, Lü X, Wang J, Peng P, Kasper T, Daut G, Haberzettl T, Frenzel P, Li Q, Yang R, Schwalb A, Mäusbacher R (2015). Climate change on the Tibetan Plateau in response to shifting atmospheric circulation since the LGM.Sci Rep, 5(1): 13318

[59] Zhu S H, Zhu L P, Wang J B, Ju J T, Ma Q F, Chen H, Xu T, Kai J L (2019). Environmental changes reflected by core sediments since late glacial in Mapam Yumco, southwest Tibet of China. Quatern Sci, 39: 602–614 (in Chinese)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press