Asian summer monsoon variability across Termination II and implications for ice age terminations

Abstract The detailed anatomy of Termination I (TI) is well depicted, but whether changes across Termination II (TII) resemble TI remains controversial. Here we present high-resolution Asian monsoon records covering TII using Shima Cave stalagmites from China. Correlating marine and ice-core records...

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Main Authors: Yijia Liang, Kan Zhao, Yongjin Wang, Shitao Chen, Tyler E. Huth, Bin Zhao, Quan Wang, Zhenqiu Zhang, Qingfeng Shao, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60398-w
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author Yijia Liang
Kan Zhao
Yongjin Wang
Shitao Chen
Tyler E. Huth
Bin Zhao
Quan Wang
Zhenqiu Zhang
Qingfeng Shao
Hai Cheng
R. Lawrence Edwards
author_facet Yijia Liang
Kan Zhao
Yongjin Wang
Shitao Chen
Tyler E. Huth
Bin Zhao
Quan Wang
Zhenqiu Zhang
Qingfeng Shao
Hai Cheng
R. Lawrence Edwards
author_sort Yijia Liang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The detailed anatomy of Termination I (TI) is well depicted, but whether changes across Termination II (TII) resemble TI remains controversial. Here we present high-resolution Asian monsoon records covering TII using Shima Cave stalagmites from China. Correlating marine and ice-core records to our U/Th-dated records via millennial-scale variabilities, we find an initial CO2 rise from 139 ± 1 ka BP concordant with boreal summer insolation increase, which was followed by a major rise phase of CO2 between 135.7 ± 1 and 129 ± 1 ka BP. The major rise phases of CO2 were comparable during TI and TII, but the initial CO2 rise before TII was distinct from CO2 behavior before TI, likely forced by the Earth’s internal variabilities, in particular an ice-sheet collapse event and a 50% reduction in southern hemisphere dust flux. Here, we show that ~4000–5000-year-long gradual changes in CO2, along with insolation rise, preconditioned glacial terminations, supporting the “tipping point” theory.
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spelling doaj-art-04dbe5ca51414b28b26dc3171bbdb9e92025-08-20T03:16:55ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-011611910.1038/s41467-025-60398-wAsian summer monsoon variability across Termination II and implications for ice age terminationsYijia Liang0Kan Zhao1Yongjin Wang2Shitao Chen3Tyler E. Huth4Bin Zhao5Quan Wang6Zhenqiu Zhang7Qingfeng Shao8Hai Cheng9R. Lawrence Edwards10State Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, School of Geography, Nanjing Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, School of Geography, Nanjing Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, School of Geography, Nanjing Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, School of Geography, Nanjing Normal UniversityDepartment of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Washington UniversityState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, School of Geography, Nanjing Normal UniversityResearch Centre for Environmental Change and Sustainable Development, School of International Business and Tourism Management, Ningbo PolytechnicState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, School of Geography, Nanjing Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, School of Geography, Nanjing Normal UniversityInstitute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of MinnesotaAbstract The detailed anatomy of Termination I (TI) is well depicted, but whether changes across Termination II (TII) resemble TI remains controversial. Here we present high-resolution Asian monsoon records covering TII using Shima Cave stalagmites from China. Correlating marine and ice-core records to our U/Th-dated records via millennial-scale variabilities, we find an initial CO2 rise from 139 ± 1 ka BP concordant with boreal summer insolation increase, which was followed by a major rise phase of CO2 between 135.7 ± 1 and 129 ± 1 ka BP. The major rise phases of CO2 were comparable during TI and TII, but the initial CO2 rise before TII was distinct from CO2 behavior before TI, likely forced by the Earth’s internal variabilities, in particular an ice-sheet collapse event and a 50% reduction in southern hemisphere dust flux. Here, we show that ~4000–5000-year-long gradual changes in CO2, along with insolation rise, preconditioned glacial terminations, supporting the “tipping point” theory.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60398-w
spellingShingle Yijia Liang
Kan Zhao
Yongjin Wang
Shitao Chen
Tyler E. Huth
Bin Zhao
Quan Wang
Zhenqiu Zhang
Qingfeng Shao
Hai Cheng
R. Lawrence Edwards
Asian summer monsoon variability across Termination II and implications for ice age terminations
Nature Communications
title Asian summer monsoon variability across Termination II and implications for ice age terminations
title_full Asian summer monsoon variability across Termination II and implications for ice age terminations
title_fullStr Asian summer monsoon variability across Termination II and implications for ice age terminations
title_full_unstemmed Asian summer monsoon variability across Termination II and implications for ice age terminations
title_short Asian summer monsoon variability across Termination II and implications for ice age terminations
title_sort asian summer monsoon variability across termination ii and implications for ice age terminations
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60398-w
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