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

• Published in: Nature communications 2019-09, Vol.10 (1), p.4105-10, Article 4105
• Main Authors: Xu, Deke, Lu, Houyuan, Chu, Guoqiang, Liu, Li, Shen, Caiming, Li, Fengjiang, Wang, Can, Wu, Naiqin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/181/27; 704/106/413; 704/158/2462; 704/2151/414; Archaeological sites; Archaeology; Carbon Radioisotopes; China; Climate Change; El Nino; El Nino-Southern Oscillation; Environmental changes; Geography; Geologic Sediments; Holocene; Human Activities; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Lakes; Monsoons; multidisciplinary; Oscillations; Phases; Pollen; Pollen - physiology; Principal Component Analysis; Quercus - physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Seasons; Southern Oscillation; Time Factors; Wind
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12138-0

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. Long-term climate cycles can potentially influence population dynamics, including those of humans. Here, the authors combine climate and archaeological records from Northeast China over the past 8000 years and demonstrate ~500 year cycles in both the monsoon and human activity.