Quaternary International最新文献

{"title":"Reconstructing hypoxia on the eastern Arabian sea continental shelf during the past ∼7400 years: A multi-proxy approach","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.05.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.05.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>Shallow-sea environmental variations in the eastern Arabian Sea (EAS) have been related to monsoon variability, poorly ventilated intermediate water, and primary productivity changes. To understand these conditions, benthic foraminiferal assemblages, </span>oxygen isotope ratios<span><span>, and total organic carbon content have been examined in </span>sediment Core<span> SK291/GC13 from the EAS. We aim to retrieve decadal to centennial time-scale changes in past oxygenation and paleoproductivity during the last 7400 calibrated years before the present (cal yr BP). Our proxy data suggest that the oxic </span></span></span>benthic foraminifera<span> species were dominant during ∼7400–6000 cal yr BP. The change from oxic to dysoxic occurred during ca. 6000–3500 cal yr BP, and transition from dysoxic to suboxic environmental conditions happened at ca. ∼3500 cal yr BP. These changes are contemporaneous with weakening of the Indian summer monsoon<span><span> beginning at ∼5500 cal yr BP which culminated into a major arid phase so-called ca 4.2 ka event in the Indian subcontinent<span><span>. The EAS experienced low productivity during the early phase of our studied interval (∼7400–6000 cal yr BP) and higher productivity in the middle Holocene<span> (6000–3000 cal yr BP), as revealed by the total organic carbon and benthic assemblages. Furthermore, productivity increased in the warm period and decreased in the </span></span>Little Ice Age on a decadal scale. The spectral analysis of total organic content and suboxic species indicates a 23-year Hale (solar) cycle during the last millennium, indicating a close relationship between solar activity and monsoon variability. The strengthening of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation perhaps amplified due to increased solar activity in the last millennium, which influenced the climate of the EAS. The study highlights paleo-oxygenation shifts based on benthic foraminiferal assemblages, which are crucial for understanding changes in the oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) and their potential impacts on </span></span>marine ecosystems.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141144034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Expedient Bayesian prediction of subfossil bone protein content using portable ATR-FTIR data","authors":"Sean Hixon ,&nbsp;Patrick Roberts ,&nbsp;Ricardo Rodríguez-Varela ,&nbsp;Anders Götherström ,&nbsp;Elena Rossoni-Notter ,&nbsp;Olivier Notter ,&nbsp;Pauline Raimondeau ,&nbsp;Guillaume Besnard ,&nbsp;Enrico Paust ,&nbsp;Mary Lucas ,&nbsp;Anna Lagia ,&nbsp;Ricardo Fernandes","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.05.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.05.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rapid and minimally destructive methods for estimating the endogenous organic content of subfossil bone save time, lab consumables, and valuable ancient materials. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is an established method to estimate bone protein content, and portable spectroscopes enable field applications. We review the ability of benchtop and portable FTIR indices to predict %N and %collagen from 137 bone specimens drawn from eight taxa. We also explore associations of these indices with the endogenous DNA content estimated for 105 specimens. Bulk bone elemental abundance and crystallinity index data reflect diagenetic alteration of these specimens, which come from a variety of depositional environments in four countries (Madagascar, Greece, Monaco, and Germany). Infrared (IR) indices from benchtop and portable units perform similarly well in predicting observed sample N content and collagen yields. Samples that include little collagen (0–5 wt%) tend to have similar IR index values, and we present a Bayesian approach for the prediction of collagen yields. Bone type best explains variation in target species DNA content (endogenous DNA being particularly abundant in petrosals), but low IR index values were consistently associated with minimal DNA content. We conclude that, although portable FTIR fails to distinguish collagen preservation among poorly preserved samples, a simple approach with minimal sample preparation can effectively screen bone from a variety of taxa, elements, and environments for the extraction of organics.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618224001496/pdfft?md5=f23dda72ee048e370cde4d448511940a&pid=1-s2.0-S1040618224001496-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141133237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early Holocene inundation of Doggerland and its impact on hunter-gatherers: An inundation model and dates-as-data approach","authors":"P.W. Hoebe ,&nbsp;K.M. Cohen ,&nbsp;F.S. Busschers ,&nbsp;S. van Heteren ,&nbsp;J.H.M. Peeters","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.05.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.05.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Sea-level rise was a key factor changing environments during the Early Holocene in Northwest Europe. It affected Mesolithic hunter-gatherer communities by inundating large areas in the current North Sea, commonly referred to as Doggerland. In this paper we present novel inundation models for the southern North Sea providing visualisations of lateral inundation driven by sea-level rise and relate it to frequency analysis of radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites. These improve on previous studies that relied on bathymetric data, which includes post-inundation overprints of Holocene sedimentation and erosion, and thus significantly underestimates the timing of inundation in some areas.</p><p>We constructed a paleoDEM (a composite elevation grid of the top of the Pleistocene) for the eastern part of the southern North Sea; and sea level surfaces that combine relative sea-level curves from glacio-isostatic adjustment models optimised for Britain and southern Scandinavia respectively. We corrected our paleoDEMs for tectonic background basin subsidence, and in the inundation modelling account for pre-compaction elevation of peat in coastal areas. We evaluated the impact of these model components on our results and describe the possible inundation history of Doggerland. We suggest earlier inundation than predicted by previous models, showing significant area loss around 10.5–10 ka cal BP.</p><p>Palaeogeographic changes are compared with archaeological radiocarbon data using a dates-as-data approach. Composite Kernel Density Estimate and permutation tested Summed Probability Distributions are used as a proxy for the visibility, nature and intensity of human activity. Results indicate key periods of growth and decline recorded in the dataset, as well as regional differences in growth rate, some correlating with inundation phases. Chiefly, we find elevated growth rates around 10.5–10 ka in northwest Germany and the Netherlands, contemporaneous with the abovementioned phase of extensive area loss, and moreover, with changes in culture and practices on Early Mesolithic sites.</p><p>However, the spatiotemporal distribution of archaeological data is significantly influenced by accessibility and preservation of sediments of a certain age. We discuss the importance of inundation modelling and sediment data in understanding how landscape taphonomy affects archaeological patterning, especially in dates-as-data approaches.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618224001538/pdfft?md5=3a888189f14cac8e2aa0037d2b8bd5a7&pid=1-s2.0-S1040618224001538-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141052902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stadial and interstadial deposits of Late Nemunas (Late Weichselian/MIS 2) glaciation in south Lithuania and their interpretation","authors":"Violeta Pukelytė,&nbsp;Laura Gedminienė,&nbsp;Valentinas Baltrūnas,&nbsp;Bronislavas Karmaza","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.05.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper presents sedimentological and paleobotanical studies of the deposits from Last Glaciation (Late Nemunas, Late Weichselian) in the middle reaches of the River Nemunas in southern Lithuania. Spores, pollen, and other palynomorphs in the intercalated sediments between the diamicton (glacial till) beds were analyzed, and the paleogeographical and paleoclimatic conditions of their sedimentation were assessed using the modern analog technique (MAT). The two till layers from the Last Glaciation, characterized by significant differences in their composition, testify to a difference in glacier movement paths in the region. The continuous sedimentation process between glacial tills provides evidence of global climate changes during the Last Glaciation and the restructuring of glacial lobes during deglaciation in the southeastern part of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet. The sedimentation process and vegetation composition bear witness to an open landscape of steppe-tundra, scattered wooded areas, and the emergence of thermophilic vegetation afterward, suggesting increased annual temperatures and higher humidity. The available data enable the identification of the Balbieriškis interstage period within the Late Nemunas Glaciation (Upper Nemunas Formation) between the Grūda and Baltija stages (Grūda and Baltija subformations) in the regional Quaternary stratigraphic scheme. This period correlates with the Marine Isotope Stage 2 (MIS 2).</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141036719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lithic projectile technology in the western Late Epigravettian: The case study of north-eastern Italy","authors":"Nicolò Fasser ,&nbsp;Davide Visentin ,&nbsp;Rossella Duches ,&nbsp;Marco Peresani ,&nbsp;Federica Fontana","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Projectile implements are one of the most frequent transformed lithic blanks within the Upper Paleolithic assemblages. Since the first taxonomic studies, their morphological variability has been used as primary fossil director to define specific regional trends and diachronic phases. However, an exhaustive analysis of manufacturing methods and techniques applied to shape this gear category is extremely rare. In fact, during the Late Epigravettian, except for a certain typological variability, the lack of detailed studies resulted in an apparent homogeneity in armatures production. In this paper, a technological and traceological approach applied to reconstruct the whole <em>chaîne opératoire</em> of armatures manufacture in three Northern Italian sites dated between 17,000 and 12,000 cal BP demonstrates important variations in how projectile implements are fashioned, concerning shape, production methods and retouch techniques. Moreover, a large-scale comparison suggests how renewals in projectile implements production in North-Eastern Italy may result from long-distance connections between human groups over the western Late Epigravettian territory.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141049589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Late Holocene vegetation diversity change and potential response to climate variations on the northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Yueqi Zhang,&nbsp;Yongbo Wang,&nbsp;Xingqi Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Biodiversity change under current global warming scenario has attracted wide attentions, representing general stability and balance in ecosystems. Understanding the temporal patterns and potential driving mechanisms of biodiversity changes would provide significant knowledge for ecosystem sustainability, which requires necessary investigations on long-term records during the late Holocene. The high elevation and specific environment on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) promote the development of fragile alpine ecosystems, responding sensitively to regional climate variations. Based on a high-resolution fossil pollen record retrieved from Lake Kusai on the northern QTP, late Holocene vegetation diversities were estimated based on the Hill number indices, which were subsequently evaluated at three time scales, i.e., millennial, centennial and multi-decadal time scales. The results indicate that Hill number indices could represent vegetation diversity changes on the northern QTP. Reconstructed vegetation diversity indices indicate gradual variations on millennium scale in each diversity index, along with different responses to environmental factors of regional moisture and total solar irradiance. On the centennial time scale, high consistencies were identified among the vegetation diversity indices as well as correlations with environmental factors, revealing overall positive responses between diversity variations and environmental changes. Rather complicated correspondences to environmental factors appeared on the multi-decadal scale, showing different patterns in diversity indices, which illustrates variations through time as well. Accordingly, vegetation diversity changes of the alpine communities on the northern QTP experienced serious variations during the late Holocene, and revealed complicated responses to regional environmental changes, that further investigations particularly at different time scales would be necessary in the future.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141038323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring ten thousand years of variation in weapons technologies: A diachronic analysis of lithic projectile points in the puna de atacama (northern Chile)","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This article presents an analysis of the functional design of a collection of 346 projectile points from archaeological sites in the Puna de Atacama (21.9°–24.7° S) that belong to the cultural sequence dating from 12,500–2400 yr BP, which ranges from the earliest groups to inhabit the area to the emergence of the first agro-pastoralist societies. The results obtained reveal significant changes in projectile or weapons technologies throughout the sequence. This begins with projectile points whose measurements point to the predominance of the spearthrower-dart system during the Early Archaic, followed by the diversification and specialization of these technologies during the Middle Archaic, with a significant increase in the use of throwing and thrusting spears. In the Late Archaic, projectile point dimensions diminished significantly, displaying patterns that remained until the Early Formative. Nevertheless, during this last period some measurements decreased slightly, and a major change is detected in the haft width of stemmed points. Three alternate hypotheses are proposed for these last changes: 1) the presence of the bow-and-arrow system from the late Archaic onward; 2) the appearance of the bow-and-arrow system from the Early Formative only; 3) the reduction and standardization of spearthrower-darts, without the presence of the bow-and-arrow system until after the Early Formative. We argue that the first two hypotheses are the most plausible, although we consider the first to be the most likely.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141053720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Postglacial vegetation and climate change in the Lake Onega region of eastern Fennoscandia derived from a radiocarbon-dated pollen record","authors":"Aleksandra I. Krikunova ,&nbsp;Larisa A. Savelieva ,&nbsp;Tengwen Long ,&nbsp;Christian Leipe ,&nbsp;Franziska Kobe ,&nbsp;Natalia A. Kostromina ,&nbsp;Aleksandra V. Vasilyeva ,&nbsp;Pavel E. Tarasov","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>With its numerous environmental archives stored in lake and peat sediments and relatively low human pressure, the Lake Onega region in eastern Fennoscandia is regarded as a particularly promising area for studying past changes in vegetation and climate since the Lateglacial period. The 885-cm-long sediment core RZ19 (62°27′53″N, 34°26′4″E) was collected from Razlomnoe Peat on the northern shore of Lake Onega in 2019, radiocarbon-dated and analysed for pollen and cryptogam spores. The age-depth model suggests continuous sedimentation since ca. 11,800 a BP (all ages given in years (a) or kiloyears (ka) before present (BP) with BP referring to 1950 CE). The results of pollen analysis and pollen-based biome reconstruction show rapid afforestation of the area in the Early Holocene, although the scores of the tundra biome remain relatively high prior to ca. 11,450 a BP, suggesting that the vegetation was likely more open than today. Between 8300 and 8000 a BP, <em>Betula</em> sect. <em>Albae</em> shows a marked increase in pollen percentage, while <em>Pinus sylvestris</em> experiences a marked decrease. These changes coinciding with the 8.2 ka BP cooling event indicate less favourable conditions for Scots pine while being beneficial for fast-growing birch. The transition from the Early to Middle Holocene (i.e. from Greenlandian to Northgrippian) is marked by an increase in pollen productivity, spread of <em>Picea</em> and further afforestation of the area. The decrease in arboreal and <em>Picea</em> pollen percentages and the abrupt increase in landscape openness after ca. 4000 a BP mark the onset of the Late Holocene (i.e. Northgrippian-Meghalayan transition) and likely reflect the combined effect of insolation-induced temperature decrease and associated paludification and forest retreat rather than a decrease in atmospheric precipitation and/or spread of Late Neolithic agriculture.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618224001204/pdfft?md5=9bc0a58795d1f4b33eb00a0b87ad5036&pid=1-s2.0-S1040618224001204-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140788779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental and human history in the hyper-arid eastern Tarim Basin (Lop Nur), northwest China: A critical review for sustaining the natural and cultural landscapes","authors":"Kangkang Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoguang Qin ,&nbsp;Bing Xu ,&nbsp;Lei Zhang ,&nbsp;Guijin Mu ,&nbsp;Yong Wu ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Tian ,&nbsp;Dong Wei ,&nbsp;Chunxue Wang ,&nbsp;Huiqiu Shao ,&nbsp;Hongjuan Jia ,&nbsp;Zhiqiang Yin ,&nbsp;Wen Li ,&nbsp;Haoze Song ,&nbsp;Yongchong Lin ,&nbsp;Yingxin Jiao ,&nbsp;Jing Feng ,&nbsp;Jiaqi Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The sustainability of dry regions has become a key issue for global development. Their natural and cultural landscapes are facing threats resulting from ongoing global changes. This paper presents an overview of geomorphological, climatic-environmental, and archaeological studies in the hyper-arid eastern Tarim Basin (Lop Nur), northwest China, a world-renowned crossroad for early east-west communications, to provide a scientific foundation for sustaining its nature-culture heritage. The late Quaternary landscape changes in the Lop Nur region are characterised by cycles between oases and yardang deserts, shaping the extensive aeolian landform. Archaeological evidence suggests humans’ adaptation and resilience to today what are viewed as inhospitable environments since the late Pleistocene by exploiting the diverse range of oasis resources, movement, and encouraging adjacent populations to diversify their subsistence base. Settlement- and regional-scale deterioration of available water resources, affected by environmental and climatic dynamics, caused the eventual abandonment. Periodic occupation and abandonment in the Lop Nur region accompanying oasis-desert/yardang environment cycles provide important lessons for present-day policymakers to contextualise the relationship between human communities and fragile ecosystems. The open-air sites in the Lop Nur region represent the best-preserved oasis-desert civilisation, suffering cultural history losses. We propose the urgent necessity to establish a transdisciplinary database, construct a master chronological framework of settlement, and integrate the culture-nature heritage within the network of the Silk Roads. The scientific management of river networks is also critical for protecting those riverine cultural relics. The site- and group-level management of heritage needs to be adapted to the projected changes in climate and environment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140784819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"May–June relative humidity variation recorded by tree ring widths of Pinus armandii Franch since 1863 in the Funiu Mountains, central China","authors":"Jinkuan Li ,&nbsp;Kunyu Peng ,&nbsp;Xiaoxu Wei ,&nbsp;Yameng Liu ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Li ,&nbsp;Meng Peng ,&nbsp;Xuan Li ,&nbsp;Keyu Zhang ,&nbsp;Jianfeng Peng","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.04.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Long-lasting drought records can provide valuable insights into the history of hydroclimate change in central China, but meteorological records are too short to capture long-term variability of the humidity. In this study, we established a tree-ring width chronology of <em>Pinus armandii</em> Franch in the Funiu Mountains region of central China. Correlation analyses showed that tree radial growths were mainly limited by hydrothermal combination in May–June. The results of the moving correlation analysis further showed that the response relationship between tree growth and relative humidity in May–June (RH_MJ) was the most stable. This relationship has been reconstructed since 1863. The variance of the reconstructed RH_MJ was explained by 41.7% (40.6% after adjusting for degrees of freedom). Over the past 158 years, there were 3 wet periods and 4 dry periods. The spectral analysis revealed that the reconstructed RH_MJ exhibited quasi-periods of 2-4a and 31.6a, and cross-spectrum analysis showed that the reconstructed RH_MJ may be related to ENSO, PDO, solar activity and the East Asian summer monsoon. The spatial correlation analysis revealed that the reconstructed RH_MJ accurately depicted the fluctuations in humidity within the Huanghe-Huaihe Plain. Furthermore, the reconstructed RH_MJ exhibited a strong negative correlation with the sea surface temperature (SST) of the subtropical North Pacific, while it displayed a highly significant positive correlation with the SST of the eastern equatorial Pacific from the previous May to the current April. This also indicated a possible link between humidity fluctuations in the Huanghe-Huaihe Plain and the Pacific internal variability in climate system. Therefore, this research aims to expand and complement the existing meteorological records, providing important reference significance for forest management, agriculture, and animal husbandry.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140615705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}