Little Ice Age wetting of interior Asian deserts and the rise of the Mongol Empire

Aaron E. Putnam; David E. Putnam; Laia Andreu-Hayles; Edward R. Cook; Jonathan G. Palmer; Elizabeth H. Clark; Chunzeng Wang; Feng Chen; George H. Denton; Douglas P. Boyle; Scott D. Bassett; Sean D. Birkel; Javier Martin-Fernandez; Irka Hajdas; John Southon; Christopher B. Garner; Hai Cheng; Wallace S. Broecker

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.033

Little Ice Age wetting of interior Asian deserts and the rise of the Mongol Empire

Aaron E. Putnam, David E. Putnam, Laia Andreu-Hayles, Edward R. Cook, Jonathan G. Palmer, Elizabeth H. Clark, Chunzeng Wang, Feng Chen, George H. Denton, Douglas P. Boyle, Scott D. Bassett, Sean D. Birkel, Javier Martin-Fernandez, Irka Hajdas, John Southon, Christopher B. Garner, Hai Cheng, Wallace S. Broecker

Earth and Environmental Sciences-Twin Cities

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Abstract

The degree to which warming of the planet will alter Asia's water resources is an important question for food, energy, and economic security. Here we present geological evidence, underpinned by radiometric dating and dendrochronology, and bolstered by hydrological modeling, indicating that wetter-than-present conditions characterized the core of the inner Asian desert belt during the Little Ice Age, the last major Northern Hemispheric cold spell of the Holocene. These wetter conditions accompanied northern mid-latitude cooling, glacier expansion, a strengthened/southward-shifted boreal jet, and weakened south Asian monsoons. We suggest that southward migration of grasslands in response to these wetter conditions aided the spread of Mongol Empire steppe pastoralists across Asian drylands. Conversely, net drying over the 20th century has led to drought that is unprecedented for the past ~830 years, and that could intensify with further heating of the Asian continent.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	33-50
Number of pages	18
Journal	Quaternary Science Reviews
Volume	131
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.033
State	Published - Jan 1 2016

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We are grateful to the Comer Science and Education Foundation (CSEF), the Quesada Family Fund , and the Lamont Climate Center for support. Putnam received generous support from a Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Research Professorship, the Lenfest Foundation, and the CSEF. We thank Zhisheng An, Weijian Zhou, and Minlu Fu for generous support in China. John Chiang, David Battisti, and Tanzhuo Liu, provided helpful insights into the hydroclimate dynamics of Asia. We thank Chris Atwood for constructive discussions about the history of the Mongol Empire. Tanzhuo Liu and Beizhan Yan assisted with translations. Yanbin Lu, Zhenkun Wu, Fred Quesada, and Hayley, Peter, and Kerri Wolcott assisted with fieldwork. William Fitzhugh and an anonymous reviewer provided insightful comments that led to an improved paper. This is LDEO contribution #7943.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd.

Keywords

Asian hydroclimate
Asian monsoon
C
Dendrochronology
Lop nor
Mountain glacier
Paleohydrology
Snowpack
Taklamakan desert
Tarim basin
Westerlies

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Putnam, A. E., Putnam, D. E., Andreu-Hayles, L., Cook, E. R., Palmer, J. G., Clark, E. H., Wang, C., Chen, F., Denton, G. H., Boyle, D. P., Bassett, S. D., Birkel, S. D., Martin-Fernandez, J., Hajdas, I., Southon, J., Garner, C. B., Cheng, H., & Broecker, W. S. (2016). Little Ice Age wetting of interior Asian deserts and the rise of the Mongol Empire. Quaternary Science Reviews, 131, 33-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.033

Putnam, AE, Putnam, DE, Andreu-Hayles, L, Cook, ER, Palmer, JG, Clark, EH, Wang, C, Chen, F, Denton, GH, Boyle, DP, Bassett, SD, Birkel, SD, Martin-Fernandez, J, Hajdas, I, Southon, J, Garner, CB, Cheng, H & Broecker, WS 2016, 'Little Ice Age wetting of interior Asian deserts and the rise of the Mongol Empire', Quaternary Science Reviews, vol. 131, pp. 33-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.033

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abstract = "The degree to which warming of the planet will alter Asia's water resources is an important question for food, energy, and economic security. Here we present geological evidence, underpinned by radiometric dating and dendrochronology, and bolstered by hydrological modeling, indicating that wetter-than-present conditions characterized the core of the inner Asian desert belt during the Little Ice Age, the last major Northern Hemispheric cold spell of the Holocene. These wetter conditions accompanied northern mid-latitude cooling, glacier expansion, a strengthened/southward-shifted boreal jet, and weakened south Asian monsoons. We suggest that southward migration of grasslands in response to these wetter conditions aided the spread of Mongol Empire steppe pastoralists across Asian drylands. Conversely, net drying over the 20th century has led to drought that is unprecedented for the past ~830 years, and that could intensify with further heating of the Asian continent.",

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AU - Bassett, Scott D.

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AU - Southon, John

AU - Garner, Christopher B.

AU - Cheng, Hai

AU - Broecker, Wallace S.

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N2 - The degree to which warming of the planet will alter Asia's water resources is an important question for food, energy, and economic security. Here we present geological evidence, underpinned by radiometric dating and dendrochronology, and bolstered by hydrological modeling, indicating that wetter-than-present conditions characterized the core of the inner Asian desert belt during the Little Ice Age, the last major Northern Hemispheric cold spell of the Holocene. These wetter conditions accompanied northern mid-latitude cooling, glacier expansion, a strengthened/southward-shifted boreal jet, and weakened south Asian monsoons. We suggest that southward migration of grasslands in response to these wetter conditions aided the spread of Mongol Empire steppe pastoralists across Asian drylands. Conversely, net drying over the 20th century has led to drought that is unprecedented for the past ~830 years, and that could intensify with further heating of the Asian continent.

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Little Ice Age wetting of interior Asian deserts and the rise of the Mongol Empire

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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