Dust storm outbreak in central Asia after ~3.5 kyr BP
The evolution and driving factors underlying dust activity in central Asia remain controversial, particularly in its effects on downwind regions. We present a Holocene dust storm activity record retrieved from the Tarim Basin (TB) and perform linear and nonlinear analyses on dust records from the TB...
| Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/e9788ad7-7b91-4bf3-ba4a-485558441f00 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018gl081795 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/e9788ad7-7b91-4bf3-ba4a-485558441f00 https://research.vu.nl/ws/files/235466862/Dust_Storm_Outbreak_in_Central_Asia_After_3.5_kyr_BP.pdf http://www.mendeley.com/research/dust-storm-outbreak-central-asia-after-35-kyr-bp |
| Summary: | The evolution and driving factors underlying dust activity in central Asia remain controversial, particularly in its effects on downwind regions. We present a Holocene dust storm activity record retrieved from the Tarim Basin (TB) and perform linear and nonlinear analyses on dust records from the TB and the Greenland areas. The results indicate a similar response of dust activities to total solar irradiance in both areas, and an outbreak of dust storms in the TB at ~3.5 kyr BP. We suggest that decreasing temperature in high northern latitudes, aided by solar activity change, reached a critical threshold near ~3.5 kyr BP. The resulting steepening of the meridional temperature gradient would have facilitated strengthening and southward shift of the Northern Hemisphere westerly jet, leading to the outbreak of dust storms through intensification of low level wind intensity and prolonged spring conditions in the Asian interior. |
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