Sensitive response of desert vegetation to moisture change based on a near-annual resolution pollen record from Gahai Lake in the Qaidam Basin, northwest China

Yan Zhao; Zicheng Yu; Fahu Chen; Xiuju Liu; Emi Ito

doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.12.003

Sensitive response of desert vegetation to moisture change based on a near-annual resolution pollen record from Gahai Lake in the Qaidam Basin, northwest China

Yan Zhao, Zicheng Yu, Fahu Chen, Xiuju Liu, Emi Ito

Earth and Environmental Sciences-Twin Cities

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

81 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a 50-year pollen record at near-annual resolution from Gahai Lake in the Qaidam Basin on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Chronology of a 22-cm short core was established by ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs analysis. The pollen results at 0.5 cm intervals show large changes in Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae (A/C) ratios from < 0.2 to 0.95 in the last 50 years. High (low) A/C ratios represent increase (decrease) in steppe pollen production, which correspond to high (low) relative humidity observed at nearby Delingha weather station. On the basis of good correspondence with instrumental records and carbonate content from Gahai Lake, we conclude that A/C ratio is sensitive to moisture change and can be a very useful index in reconstructing paleoclimate of arid regions. Comparison with pollen and snow accumulation data from Dunde ice core suggests that effective moisture at low and high elevations shows the opposite relationship when mountain precipitation was extremely high, possibly due to topography-induced uplifting and subsiding air dynamics.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	107-114
Number of pages	8
Journal	Global and Planetary Change
Volume	62
Issue number	1-2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.12.003
State	Published - May 2008

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank J.J. Chen and C. Zhao for field assistance, and P. Wilkinson and E. Slavicek for 210 Pb and 137 Cs dating analysis, and three anonymous reviewers and the editor for useful comments and suggestions. This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants #40528001, 40421101 and 40771212), and US NSF (EAR #0518774 and #0519255). During the final preparation of the manuscript, the senior author was a Visiting Research Scientist in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Lehigh University, supported by the US NSF.

Keywords

A/C ratio
Gahai Lake
Qaidam Basin
climate data
effective moisture
fossil pollen

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access

10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.12.003

OpenUrl availability

Full text

Cite this

@article{5563e32ac52e41c99875a3be0ea44173,

title = "Sensitive response of desert vegetation to moisture change based on a near-annual resolution pollen record from Gahai Lake in the Qaidam Basin, northwest China",

abstract = "We present a 50-year pollen record at near-annual resolution from Gahai Lake in the Qaidam Basin on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Chronology of a 22-cm short core was established by 210Pb and 137Cs analysis. The pollen results at 0.5 cm intervals show large changes in Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae (A/C) ratios from < 0.2 to 0.95 in the last 50 years. High (low) A/C ratios represent increase (decrease) in steppe pollen production, which correspond to high (low) relative humidity observed at nearby Delingha weather station. On the basis of good correspondence with instrumental records and carbonate content from Gahai Lake, we conclude that A/C ratio is sensitive to moisture change and can be a very useful index in reconstructing paleoclimate of arid regions. Comparison with pollen and snow accumulation data from Dunde ice core suggests that effective moisture at low and high elevations shows the opposite relationship when mountain precipitation was extremely high, possibly due to topography-induced uplifting and subsiding air dynamics.",

keywords = "A/C ratio, Gahai Lake, Qaidam Basin, climate data, effective moisture, fossil pollen",

author = "Yan Zhao and Zicheng Yu and Fahu Chen and Xiuju Liu and Emi Ito",

note = "Funding Information: We thank J.J. Chen and C. Zhao for field assistance, and P. Wilkinson and E. Slavicek for 210 Pb and 137 Cs dating analysis, and three anonymous reviewers and the editor for useful comments and suggestions. This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants #40528001, 40421101 and 40771212), and US NSF (EAR #0518774 and #0519255). During the final preparation of the manuscript, the senior author was a Visiting Research Scientist in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Lehigh University, supported by the US NSF.",

year = "2008",

month = may,

doi = "10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.12.003",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "62",

pages = "107--114",

journal = "Global and Planetary Change",

issn = "0921-8181",

publisher = "Elsevier",

number = "1-2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Sensitive response of desert vegetation to moisture change based on a near-annual resolution pollen record from Gahai Lake in the Qaidam Basin, northwest China

AU - Zhao, Yan

AU - Yu, Zicheng

AU - Chen, Fahu

AU - Liu, Xiuju

AU - Ito, Emi

N1 - Funding Information: We thank J.J. Chen and C. Zhao for field assistance, and P. Wilkinson and E. Slavicek for 210 Pb and 137 Cs dating analysis, and three anonymous reviewers and the editor for useful comments and suggestions. This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants #40528001, 40421101 and 40771212), and US NSF (EAR #0518774 and #0519255). During the final preparation of the manuscript, the senior author was a Visiting Research Scientist in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Lehigh University, supported by the US NSF.

PY - 2008/5

Y1 - 2008/5

N2 - We present a 50-year pollen record at near-annual resolution from Gahai Lake in the Qaidam Basin on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Chronology of a 22-cm short core was established by 210Pb and 137Cs analysis. The pollen results at 0.5 cm intervals show large changes in Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae (A/C) ratios from < 0.2 to 0.95 in the last 50 years. High (low) A/C ratios represent increase (decrease) in steppe pollen production, which correspond to high (low) relative humidity observed at nearby Delingha weather station. On the basis of good correspondence with instrumental records and carbonate content from Gahai Lake, we conclude that A/C ratio is sensitive to moisture change and can be a very useful index in reconstructing paleoclimate of arid regions. Comparison with pollen and snow accumulation data from Dunde ice core suggests that effective moisture at low and high elevations shows the opposite relationship when mountain precipitation was extremely high, possibly due to topography-induced uplifting and subsiding air dynamics.

AB - We present a 50-year pollen record at near-annual resolution from Gahai Lake in the Qaidam Basin on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Chronology of a 22-cm short core was established by 210Pb and 137Cs analysis. The pollen results at 0.5 cm intervals show large changes in Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae (A/C) ratios from < 0.2 to 0.95 in the last 50 years. High (low) A/C ratios represent increase (decrease) in steppe pollen production, which correspond to high (low) relative humidity observed at nearby Delingha weather station. On the basis of good correspondence with instrumental records and carbonate content from Gahai Lake, we conclude that A/C ratio is sensitive to moisture change and can be a very useful index in reconstructing paleoclimate of arid regions. Comparison with pollen and snow accumulation data from Dunde ice core suggests that effective moisture at low and high elevations shows the opposite relationship when mountain precipitation was extremely high, possibly due to topography-induced uplifting and subsiding air dynamics.

KW - A/C ratio

KW - Gahai Lake

KW - Qaidam Basin

KW - climate data

KW - effective moisture

KW - fossil pollen

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=42649136212&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=42649136212&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.12.003

DO - 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.12.003

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:42649136212

SN - 0921-8181

VL - 62

SP - 107

EP - 114

JO - Global and Planetary Change

JF - Global and Planetary Change

IS - 1-2

ER -

Sensitive response of desert vegetation to moisture change based on a near-annual resolution pollen record from Gahai Lake in the Qaidam Basin, northwest China

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access

OpenUrl availability

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this