Synchronous 500-year oscillations of monsoon climate and human activity in Northeast Asia

Deke Xu (), Houyuan Lu (), Guoqiang Chu, Li Liu, Caiming Shen, Fengjiang Li, Can Wang and Naiqin Wu
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Deke Xu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Houyuan Lu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guoqiang Chu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Li Liu: Stanford University
Caiming Shen: Yunnan Normal University
Fengjiang Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Can Wang: Shandong University
Naiqin Wu: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Prehistoric human activities were likely influenced by cyclic monsoon climate changes in East Asia. Here we report a decadal-resolution Holocene pollen record from an annually-laminated Maar Lake in Northeast China, a proxy of monsoon climate, together with a compilation of 627 radiocarbon dates from archeological sites in Northeast China which is a proxy of human activity. The results reveal synchronous ~500-year quasi-periodic changes over the last 8000 years. The warm-humid/cold-dry phases of monsoon cycles correspond closely to the intensification/weakening of human activity and the flourishing/decline of prehistoric cultures. Six prosperous phases of prehistoric cultures, with one exception, correspond approximately to warm-humid phases caused by a strengthened monsoon. This ~500-year cyclicity in the monsoon and thus environmental change triggered the development of prehistoric cultures in Northeast China. The cyclicity is apparently linked to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, against the background of long-term Holocene climatic evolution. These findings reveal a pronounced relationship between prehistoric human activity and cyclical climate change.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12138-0

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