Interstadial diversity of East Asian summer monsoon linked to changes of the Northern Westerlies

Xiyu Dong, Xu Zhang (), Haiwei Zhang (), Yuao Zhang, Sune O. Rasmussen, Rui Zhang, Yanjun Cai, Shouyi Huang, Gayatri Kathayat, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Baoyun Zong, Dianbing Liu, Pengzhen Duan, Anders Svensson, Christoph Spötl, Youwei Li, Xiaowen Niu, Jian Wang, Hanying Li, Youfeng Ning, Yao Xu, Xianfeng Wang, Nicolás M. Stríkis, Francisco W. Cruz, Ashish Sinha, Martin Werner, R. Lawrence Edwards and Hai Cheng ()
Additional contact information
Xiyu Dong: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Xu Zhang: British Antarctic Survey
Haiwei Zhang: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Yuao Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Sune O. Rasmussen: University of Copenhagen
Rui Zhang: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Yanjun Cai: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Shouyi Huang: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Gayatri Kathayat: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Carlos Pérez-Mejías: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Baoyun Zong: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Dianbing Liu: Nanjing Normal University
Pengzhen Duan: Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development
Anders Svensson: University of Copenhagen
Christoph Spötl: University of Innsbruck
Youwei Li: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Xiaowen Niu: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Jian Wang: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Hanying Li: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Youfeng Ning: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Yao Xu: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Xianfeng Wang: Nanyang Technological University
Nicolás M. Stríkis: Universidade de São Paulo
Francisco W. Cruz: Universidade de São Paulo
Ashish Sinha: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Martin Werner: Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
R. Lawrence Edwards: University of Minnesota
Hai Cheng: Xi’an Jiaotong University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract During the last glacial period, the iconic Greenland ice-core records provide evidence of interstadial warmings with various durations ranging from a century to millennia. However, whether differences in interstadial duration are mirrored by distinct hydroclimate responses in the tropics remains unclear. Here we present four speleothem δ18O records from the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) regions, spanning both short and long interstadials during the last glacial period. Greenland and ISM records show broadly similar isotopic responses across events, however, the EASM records exhibit markedly different δ18O depletions between short and long interstadials. Using an isotope-enabled climate model, we attribute these differences to a further northward shift of the Northern Westerlies during short interstadials, driven by intensified high-latitude warming. This shift promoted the northwestward expansion of Western Pacific Subtropical High and hence the delivery of isotopically enriched near-sourced vapor to eastern China, dampening δ18O depletion during stadial-to-interstadial transitions. Our findings highlight a previously unrecognized sensitivity of EASM precipitation δ18O to nuanced meridional shifts in the Northern Westerlies in contrast to the uniform responses of the ISM during interstadials.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63057-2

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