Mongolian Dust Activity Over the Last 25 Kyr Predominantly Driven by the East Asian Winter Monsoon: Insights From the Geochemistry of Lake Tuofengling Sediments

Dust deposition in northeastern Asia since the Last Glacial Maximum has previously been studied using a variety of archives. However, the mechanisms driving variability in dust are less well constrained. Here, we present records of the Nd-Sr isotope and major element composition of sediments from Lake Tuofengling, a crater lake located in northeastern China, over the past similar to 25 thousand years. The results indicate that the lithogenic fractions of the sediments are a mixture between aeolian dust and local volcanic detritus. Our provenance data suggest that the aeolian dust component is predominantly from the Mongolia Plateau, likely carried by the East Asian Winter Monsoon. Our isotope and calculated dust flux records exhibit similar changing patterns to proxies of global ice volume and the strength of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, potentially implicating ice sheets and ocean circulation as the dominant drivers of the East Asian Winter Monsoon over this time interval.

Automated summary

This study investigated the sediment composition of Lake Tuofengling in northeastern China over the past 25 thousand years and found that the sediments are a mixture of aeolian dust and local volcanic detritus. The aeolian dust component is predominantly from the Mongolia Plateau, likely carried by the East Asian Winter Monsoon. The results suggest that ice sheets and ocean circulation play a significant role in driving the East Asian Winter Monsoon.