Contrasting Responses of Monsoon Rainfall and Speleothem Oxygen Isotope Between Northeast Asia and North China During the Early‐Mid Holocene

A critical gap in East Asian summer monsoon research is the lack of speleothem records from its northeasternmost fringe, hindering tests of orbital-scale monsoon variability at higher latitudes. Our new records from the Russian Far East, spanning 9–5 ka BP, fill this spatial gap and reveal a synchronous δ18O negative excursion and intensified monsoon precipitation between 8 and 9 ka BP, contrasting with trends in North China. We suggest this difference may stem from changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation (NHSI) over the Holocene. The NHSI decrease since early Holocene weakens southwesterly winds and the Western Pacific Subtropical High, shifting the westerly jet and rainbelt southward. This causes reduced (increased) precipitation in North China (Northeast Asia), as well as reduced (increased) contribution of Pacific Ocean moisture to North China (Northeast Asia), resulting in δ18O increase (decrease) in North China (Northeast Asia).

Details

Publication status:
Published
Author(s):
Authors: Wang, Kexin ORCIDORCID record for Kexin Wang, Zhao, Jingyao ORCIDORCID record for Jingyao Zhao, Cai, Yanjun ORCIDORCID record for Yanjun Cai, Zhang, Haiwei ORCIDORCID record for Haiwei Zhang, Li, Hanying ORCIDORCID record for Hanying Li, Zhang, Xu ORCIDORCID record for Xu Zhang, Zhang, Xiaojian ORCIDORCID record for Xiaojian Zhang, Wang, Jian, Gorbarenko, Sergey A. ORCIDORCID record for Sergey A. Gorbarenko, Bersenev, Yuriy I., Vasilenko, Yuriy P. ORCIDORCID record for Yuriy P. Vasilenko, Cheng, Hai ORCIDORCID record for Hai Cheng

On this site: Xu Zhang
Date:
28 October, 2025
Journal/Source:
Geophysical Research Letters / 52
Page(s):
13pp
Link to published article:
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL114717