title: Rapid and cyclic dust accumulation during MIS 2 in Central Asia inferred from loess OSL dating and grain-size analysis.
abstract: Due to lack of reliable proxies from the Westerlies-dominant region, the strength change of Northern Hemisphere Westerlies remains poorly understood. The aim of this study is to provide a reliable paleoclimatic proxy about the Northern Hemisphere Westerlies change. Here we report a 30.7 m thick loess section from the Ili basin directly controlled by the Westerlies. Based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and high resolution grain-size records, we reconstruct the change history of the Westerlies strength during the last glacial period (mainly Marine Isotope Stages 2, MIS2), being similar with the Westerlies index recorded in the Qinghai Lake sediments. Within error limits, all ages are in stratigraphic order. We further compare the climatic records among the Ili loess, Qinghai Lake and the NGRIP, their similarity shows a good climatic coupling relationship among the Central Asia, East Asia and the North Atlantic, and the Westerlies plays a critical influence in transporting the North Atlantic signal to Central and East Asia.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 97 Yanxiang Road, Xi'An 710061, China.|The Salt Lake Geology and Environment Laboratory, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Xining Road, Xinning 810008, China.
authors: Yun
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 97 Yanxiang Road, Xi'An 710061, China.
authors: Yougui
authors: Y
authors: Song
authors: School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors: Zhongping
authors: Z
authors: Lai
authors: Salt Lake Analytical and Test Department, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Xinning Road, Xining 810008, China.
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Han
authors: State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 97 Yanxiang Road, Xi'An 710061, China.
authors: Zhisheng
authors: Z
authors: An