Hydrology of the Far East Sea Areas: implications for global paleoclimatology and its local connections

Abstract

Understanding the climatic anomalies and their regional response is crucial for tracking recent climate evolution and predicting future climate. However, hydrology of the local areas as a consequence of global paleoclimatological changes are not necessary linked with global signal and/or global climatic trend. This is due to the incomplete coverage from crucial low and mid-latitude regions outside the Atlantic although abrupt events are documented from a number of high-latitude locations, the global pattern and extent of rapid climate changes has not been established. At lower latitudes, the strongest impact of global climate change may be found in perturbations to the hydrological cycle. We present new evidence for such changes, derived from deep-sea sediments deposited in the mid-latitude western Pacific (East/Japan Sea) and south Sea area of Korean peninsula, and compared with previous published report from other part of area. Microfossil oxygen isotope composition reveals evidence for a global signature of the Younger Dryas (YD) together with local surface water freshening during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the deglaciation. Diatom oxygen isotope variations provide additional evidence for an extended record of freshening events during deglacial periods. These climate-induced microfossil isotope signals of dramatic changes in the freshwater budget suggest a local non-liner hydrols are not necessary linked with global signal and/or global climatic trend. This is due to the incomplete coverage from crucial low and mid-latitude regions outside the Atlantic although abrupt events are documented from a number of high-latitude locations, the global pattern and extent of rapid climate changes has not been established. At lower latitudes, the strongest impact of global climate change may be found in perturbations to the hydrological cycle. We present new evidence for such changes, derived from deep-sea sediments deposited in