Western Pacific in glacial cycles:Seasonality in marginal seas and variabilities of Warm Pool |
| |
| Authors: | Pinxian Wang |
| |
| Institution: | (1) Laboratory of Marine Geology of State Education Commission, Tongji University, 200092 Shanghai, China |
| |
| Abstract: | A serics of low-latitude marginal seas, ranging from the southern South China Sea in the north to the Arafura Sea in the south,
are located within the Western Pacific Warm Pool. As shown by rnicropaleontological, isotopical and organic geochemical analyses,
the sea surface temperatures in the marginal seas at the last glacial maximum were much cooler than those in the open Western
Pacific Ocean. The emergence of extensive shelves of the marginal seas at the glacial low sea-level stand and the decrease
of surface temperatures in their deeper water parts resulted in a remarkable reduction of the ability of vapor and heat transport
to the atmosphere, causing variabilities to the Warm Pool in the glacial cycles. The intensification of winter monsoon at
the glacial stages not only led to a decrease of the surface water temperature and hence to an enhanced seasonality, but also
carried moisture from the sea to the tropical islands, giving rise to the downward shift of snowline and mountainous vegetation
zones there. It may offer a new alternative in solution of the “Tropical Ocean Paleo-temperature Enigma”.
Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49576286). |
| |
| Keywords: | Western Pacific Warm Pool marginal seas glacial cycles paleoclimate East Asian monsoon |
| 本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录！ |
|
