A Rapid Cooling Event Over the Western Pacific Region During the Middle Bronze Age. Issue 2 (7th February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xiao, Hangfang; Deng, Wenfeng; Liu, Xi; Chen, Xuefei; Guo, Yangrui; Zhao, Jian‐xin; Zeng, Ti; Wei, Gangjian
• Is Part Of: Journal of geophysical research. Volume 126:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-02-07
• Subjects: δ18O -- climate change -- coral -- Middle Bronze Age Cold Epoch -- South China Sea -- Sr/Ca; Oceanography -- Periodicals; 551.4605
• DOI: 10.1029/2020JC016964
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-9275

Abstract

Abstract: Climate change in the mid‐to‐late Holocene transition is very important for predicting future climate trends and understanding the relationship between abrupt climate change and the development of past human civilization. In this study, Sr/Ca ratios and δ 18 O records with the annual resolution extracted from four fossil corals that were growing during the Middle Bronze Age Cold Epoch (MBACE) were used to reconstruct sea surface temperature (SST) and seawater δ 18 O (δ 18 Osw ) in the South China Sea (SCS) during the mid‐to‐late Holocene transition. The results indicate that the SCS experienced a rapid cooling and wetting event during the period of ∼3, 500–3, 800 years BP (before present year 1950). Specifically, the average SST and δ 18 Osw declined rapidly by ∼3°C and ∼0.65‰, respectively, over an interval of ∼100 years from ∼3, 850 years BP to ∼3, 750 years BP. This rapid climate change pattern recorded in coral archives broadly agrees with those in foraminiferal and stalagmite records from adjacent land and ocean areas. Consistent with other records from the North Atlantic, this cold event in the Asia‐Western Pacific region that occurred during the MBACE and was originally identified in the North Atlantic and European regions should have occurred at the global scale, which might be caused by changes in the Asian summer monsoon linked with solar irradiance and/or the North Atlantic climate. In addition, this rapid climate change might support the occurrence and timing of the outburst flood event during the Xia Dynasty and might have led to the fall of the Xia Dynasty. Plain Language Summary: Rapid and drastic climate changes will have serious impacts on the ecological environment and the development of human society. Studies on such climate events enable to better understand the relationship between climate change and human civilization, and provide valuable materials for predicting future climate trends. There was an extremely cold event during the period of ∼3, 800–3, 500 years BP (before present year 1950) in the Middle Bronze Age in North Atlantic and Europe region, which had a serious impact on European civilization. We carry out high‐resolution paleoclimate reconstructions during this period by using geochemical tracers in fossil corals from the South China Sea. The results indicate that the South China Sea and even the entire Western Pacific have experienced a rapid cooling and wetting event during the period of ∼3, 800–3, 500 years BP and the extremely cold event during the Middle Bronze Age was global scale. In addition, the consistency between the coral records and the stalagmite records from the inner land of China suggest that a rapid cooling and drying event during the Middle Bronze Age led to the collapse of the Xia Dynasty and Emperor Yu's success in taming floods was attributed to this event. Key Points: A rapid cooling event over the western Pacific region during the Middle Bronze Age was identified The cooling event recorded in coral archives broadly agrees with those in foraminiferal and stalagmite records The rapid cooling and drying process in inland China might have led to the collapse of the Xia Dynasty