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Holocene temperature variation recorded by branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers in a loess-paleosol sequence from the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau

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Abstract

Reconstructing Holocene temperature evolution is important for understanding present temperature variations and for predicting future climate change, in the context of global warming. The evolution of Holocene global temperature remains disputed, due to differences between proxy reconstructions and model simulations, a discrepancy known as the ‘Holocene temperature conundrum’. More reliable and quantitative terrestrial temperature records are needed to resolve the spatial heterogeneity of existing records. In this study, based on the analysis of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) from a loess-paleosol sequence from the Ganjia Basin in the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau (NETP), we quantitatively reconstructed the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) over the past 12 ka. The MAAT reconstruction shows that the temperature remained low during the early Holocene (12–8 ka), followed by a rapid warming at around 8 ka. From 8 to 4 ka, the MAAT record reached its highest level, followed by a cooling trend from the late Holocene (4–0 ka). The variability of the reconstructed MAAT is consistent with trends of annual temperature records from the Tibetan Plateau (TP) during the Holocene. We attribute the relatively low temperatures during the early Holocene to the existence of ice sheets at high-latitude regions in the Northern Hemisphere and the weaker annual mean insolation at 35°N. During the mid to late Holocene, the long-term cooling trend in the annual temperature record was primarily driven by declining summer insolation. This study provides key geological evidence for clarifying Holocene temperature change in the TP.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 42171150 and 42130502) and the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP) (No. 2019QZKK0601). We sincerely thank Dr. Yanwu Duan for his constructive suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Tianxiao Wang, Duo Wu, Tao Wang, Lin Chen, Shilong Guo & Youmo Li

  2. Alpine Paleoecology and Human Adaptation Group (ALPHA), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Chenbin Zhang

Authors
  1. Tianxiao Wang
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  2. Duo Wu
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  3. Tao Wang
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  4. Lin Chen
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  5. Shilong Guo
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  6. Youmo Li
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  7. Chenbin Zhang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Duo Wu.

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Wang, T., Wu, D., Wang, T. et al. Holocene temperature variation recorded by branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers in a loess-paleosol sequence from the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau. Front. Earth Sci. 17, 1012–1025 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-023-1094-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-023-1094-6

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