Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-309
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-309
11 May 2022
 | 11 May 2022

The patchwork loess of Central Asia: Implications for interpreting aeolian dynamics and past climate circulation in piedmont regions

Aditi Krishna Dave, Lenka Lisa, Giancarlo Scardia, Saida Nigmatova, and Kathryn Elizabeth Fitzsimmons

Abstract. Reconstruction of mass accumulation rates (MARs) in loess deposits are widely used for interpreting long-term aeolian transport and climate dynamics in terrestrial environments. However, these interpretations are often driven by preponderance of reconstructions from individual or selected sites, which can bias our understanding of past climate, especially in the absence of other proxy information. Recent studies on MARs from multiple loess sites in Arid Central Asia (ACA) reveal disparities in the timing of peaks in accumulation between sites, as well as asynchronies with loess flux in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). We investigate this issue by (1) dating five new sites from the western Ili Basin, therefore extending the spatial cover of loess chronologies across ACA and (2) combining that with MARs from >30 sites across ACA and the CLP over the last 60 ka. Our results indicate spatio-temporal inhomogeneity in the timing and rate of loess deposition across the ACA, and highlight the importance of interrogating local and regional influences on dust supply and transport. Our synthesis of MAR’s from ACA and CLP suggests that the timing of peak dust flux as an indicator of large-scale climate dynamics is best derived from an aggregate of sites; this removes site-specific bias where local processes or topographic setting outweigh the climate signature.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
Aditi Krishna Dave, Lenka Lisa, Giancarlo Scardia, Saida Nigmatova, and Kathryn Elizabeth Fitzsimmons

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
Aditi Krishna Dave, Lenka Lisa, Giancarlo Scardia, Saida Nigmatova, and Kathryn Elizabeth Fitzsimmons
Aditi Krishna Dave, Lenka Lisa, Giancarlo Scardia, Saida Nigmatova, and Kathryn Elizabeth Fitzsimmons

Viewed

Total article views: 446 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total Supplement BibTeX EndNote
290 125 31 446 75 22 19
  • HTML: 290
  • PDF: 125
  • XML: 31
  • Total: 446
  • Supplement: 75
  • BibTeX: 22
  • EndNote: 19
Views and downloads (calculated since 11 May 2022)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 11 May 2022)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 429 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 429 with geography defined and 0 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 
Latest update: 05 Nov 2024
Download
Short summary
Mass accumulation rates (MAR’s) from wind blown dust (loess) archives are one of the primary tools to gauge past climate conditions in a region. However, many of these reconstructions are based on individual loess sites, which may not be representative of the regional climate. This study investigates the relationship between loess MAR’s and climate, in the context of topography, sediment availability and supply and past circulation in Central and East Asia.