Continental Climatic Changes of East Asia During the Brunhes

Author: Xidong Chen, Douglas F.Williams
Language: English
Published on: 1999-01
Hardcover

Geological and palynological evidence supports the conclusion that the Tibetan Plateau has undergone rapid uplift since the late Miocene. Uplift rates have been rapid over that last 5 Ma, especially in the Brunhes. The rate of uplift of this “Third ploe” coincide closely with events and trends in marine isotopic and oceanic sedimentary records such as ocean geochemical cycles and chemical weathering rates. this coincidence has led to intriguing hypotheses regarding uplift-induced changes in large-scale atmospheric circulation of northern hemisphere. What role has this uplift played in the deterioration of global climate since the late Middle Miocene and the initiation of northern hemisphere glaciation in the late Pliocene? How has enhanced meridionality of atmospheric waves and intrusion of polar air masses affected mid-continental areas of North America and Europe? How has the kilometer-scale uplift of the Tibetan Plateau influenced aridity in southeastern/central Asia and also the development of the subtropical Asian monsoon? The objective of these papers is to approach some of questions raised by studying paleoclimatic and paleolimnological records from China located north and south of the Tibetan Plateau.