Dust storms in northern China during the last 500 years

• 作 者: Shuang ZHANG Hai XU Jianghu LAN Yonaton GOLDSMITH Adi TORFSTEIN Guilin ZHANG Jin ZHANG Yunping SONG Kang\'en ZHOU Liangcheng TAN Sheng XU Xiaomei XU Yehouda ENZEL
• 机 构: Institute of Surface-Earth System Science,School of Earth System Science,Tianjin University,Tianjin
• 出 处: 中国科学：地球科学（英文版）
• 发表日期: 2021年5期
• 关键词: Dust storm Lake Daihai Temperature Wind speed Human activity

The history and mechanisms of dust storms in northern China remain unclear owing to the paucity of reliable long-term,high-resolution geological records.In this study,we reconstructed the dust storm history of the last～500 years in northern China,based on sedimentary coarse fraction(＞63 μm)of a well-dated core from Lake Daihai,Inner Mongolia.The high-resolution data reveal three intervals of frequent dust storms:AD 1520-1580,AD 1610-1720,and AD 1870-2000.The dust storm events in the Lake Daihai area were broadly synchronous with those inferred from other historical or geological records and generally occurred during cold intervals.Changes in the intensity of Siberian High and the westerlies modulated by temperature variations are the likely major factors controlling dust storm dynamics.An interesting feature is that although the intensities of dust storms have been systematically increased during the recent warming period,a clear decreasing trend within this period is evident.The recent increase in average dust storm intensity may be ascribed to an increase in particle supply resulting from a rapid increase in human activity,whereas the weakening trend was likely caused by decreases in average wind speed resulting from the recent global warming.