Effects of Tibetan Plateau Growth, Paratethys Sea Retreat and Global Cooling on the East Asian Climate by the Early Miocene

Paleobotanical and sedimentological records indicate that marked climatic and environmental transitions had taken place in East China by the early Miocene. These transitions were driven by paleogeographic and global climatic shifts, but the respective roles of these shifts in the Asian climate remain unclear. Here, we use the low-resolution Norwegian Earth System Model and Community Atmosphere Model version 4 to compare the effects of Tibetan Plateau (TP) growth, Paratethys Sea retreat and global cooling on the East Asian climate change that occurred by the early Miocene. The modeling results indicate that these three factors had clearly different climatic effects in East China. In particular, TP growth increased annual precipitation in East China, while Paratethys Sea retreat and global cooling generally decreased annual precipitation in East China. In addition, the three factors studied all drove aridification in inland Asia. Considering the increased precipitation, arid/semiarid-to-humid shift in vegetation and high plant diversity present in East China by the early Miocene, as shown in geological records, TP growth thus played a major role in these respects.

Automated summary

Research suggests that the growth of the Tibetan Plateau (TP), retreat of the Paratethys Sea, and global cooling had different effects on the climate change in East Asia during the early Miocene. The TP growth led to increased annual precipitation in East China, while the retreat of the Paratethys Sea and global cooling generally decreased annual precipitation in the region. All three factors studied contributed to aridification in inland Asia.