Pollen-based reconstructions of Holocene vegetation and climatic change of Tibetan Plateau

• Main Authors: Lingyu, Tang, Chunhai, Li, Ge, Yu, Caiming, Shen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Polar Research Institute of China - PRIC 2003
• Subjects: Indian; Advances in Polar Science; North Atlantic; Polar Science
• Online Access: http://library.arcticportal.org/2260/; http://library.arcticportal.org/2260/1/A200302002.pdf

A synthesis of Holocene pollen records from the Tibetan Plateau shows the history of vegetation and climatic changes during the Holocene. Palynological evidences from 24 cores/sections have been compiled and show that the vegetation shifted from subalpine/alpine conifer forest to subalpine/alpine evergreen sclerophyllous forest in the southeastern par of the plateau; from the alpine steppe to alpine desert in the central, western and northern part; and from alpine meadow to alpine steppe in the eastern and southern plateau regions during the Holocene. These records show that increases in precipitation began about 9 ka from the southeast, and a wide ranging level of increased humidity developed over the entire of the plateau around 8 - 7 ka, followed by aridity from 6 ka and a continuous drying over the plateau after 4 - 3 ka. The changes in Holocene climates of the plateau can be interpreted qualitatively as a response to orbital forcing and its secondary effects on the Indian Monsoon which expanded northwards during the early Holocene and retreated from the plateau since the mid-Holocene. Also, there is teleconnection between the Tibetan Plateau and North Atlantic.