Collaborative Research: Late Quaternary Climate of Northeast Asia: Temporal and Spatial Variability

Investigator: Feng Sheng Hu fshu@life.uiuc.edu  (Principal Investigator current)


Abstract 

Abstract  ATM-9810177  Anderson, Patricia M.  University of Washington  Title: Late Quaternary Climate of Northeast Asia: Temporal and  Spatial Variability This award supports a project designed to improve the understanding  of late Quaternary climatic systems of East Asia by documenting  spatial and temporal variations in climates of the last 18,000  radiocarbon years for NE Asia, describing probable millennial and  centennial scale mechanisms that can account for the observed  paleoclimatic changes, and comparing results from NE Asia to other  regions (e.g., SE Asia, NW North America, North Atlantic) to obtain  a more holistic view of the inter-relationships of regional  climatic systems.  Overall research goals will be accomplished by:  1) reconstructing past climates through the collection and analysis  of modern and ancient botanical, geochemical, and diatom data  preserved in lake sediments; 2) developing high quality  chronologies using improved radiocarbon techniques; 3) examining  modern synoptic climatic patterns, general circulation model simulations, and conceptual frameworks to identify possible causes  of climatic change; 4) comparing the proxy- and model-based  paleoclimatic interpretations to assess the most likely mechanisms  behind the observed climatic histories; and 5) exploring possible  hemispheric scale linkages associated with Milankovitch and sub-  Milankovitch scale event.