Arid and semiarid regions are environmentally vulnerable to global warming. Thus, studying their environmental history during warm periods (e.g., the Last Interglacial, LIG) is crucial for understanding their future changes too. The West Gobi Desert is a transitional zone influenced by the westerlies and the East Asian monsoon system. Therefore, the variation in atmospheric circulation profoundly affects its water vapor transport and landscape evolution. Due to the scarcity of continuous records, the moisture transport process remains ambiguous, which limits further research on paleolake evolution and aeolian activity. Here, we combine paleoclimate simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6)-Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project 4 (PMIP4) and geological records to clarify the water vapor transport pathways and aeolian activity in the West Gobi Desert during the LIG, compared to the reference period (the ). Our results show that increased rainfall and meltwater were possible supplies for surface water during the LIG and were associated with enhanced East Asian summer monsoon and higher surface air temperatures. Concomitantly, weakening aeolian activity and dormant dune fields occurred in the West Gobi Desert, resulting from higher surface moisture content and weaker surface wind regimes associated with the weakening westerlies and East Asian winter monsoon. Notably, the limited weakening of aeolian activity that occurred in the LIG winter and spring was caused by weaker surface wind and deteriorating surface moisture conditions, while the significant dormancy of dune fields in the LIG summer and autumn was initiated by the combined effects of ameliorative surface moisture conditions and lower surface wind speed.

中文翻译：

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末次间冰期东亚西戈壁沙漠的休眠沙丘场和改善的水分条件

干旱和半干旱地区的环境容易受到全球变暖的影响。因此，研究它们在温暖时期（例如末次间冰期，LIG）的环境历史对于了解它们未来的变化也至关重要。西戈壁沙漠是受西风带和东亚季风系统影响的过渡地带。因此，大气环流的变化深刻影响其水汽输送和景观演化。由于缺乏连续记录，水汽输送过程仍然不明确，这限制了对古湖泊演化和风成活动的进一步研究。在这里，我们结合耦合模型比对项目 6 (CMIP6)-古气候模拟比对项目 4 (PMIP4) 的古气候模拟和地质记录，以澄清 LIG 期间西戈壁沙漠的水汽输送路径和风沙活动，与参考期（ ）。我们的结果表明，在 LIG 期间，降雨和融水的增加可能是地表水的供应，并且与东亚夏季风增强和地表气温升高有关。与此同时，由于西风带减弱和东亚冬季风减弱，地表湿度升高，地表风势减弱，西戈壁沙漠的风沙活动减弱，沙丘地处于休眠状态。值得注意的是，LIG冬季和春季风沙活动的有限减弱是由地面风力减弱和地表湿度条件恶化引起的，而LIG夏季和秋季沙丘场的显着休眠则是由于地表改善的综合影响。潮湿条件和较低的表面风速。