Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Environmental changes during early-middle Holocene from the sediment record of the Chaohu Lake, Anhui Province

  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

A typical lake sediment core is obtained from the Chaohu Lake in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Anhui Province, China. The timing scale is constrained by AMS 14C dating method. Climate proxies such as pollen and grain size in the core are analyzed to reconstruct the environment changes at this site approximately between 9870 and 2170 cal. a BP. The results indicate that at the research area, the climate in the early-middle Holocene had evolved through 3 stages. From 9870 to 6040 cal. a BP, proxy records show a warm and dry climate with low water levels after the late-glacial period. During this stage, cool and dry events occurred at about 8910 and 6060–6030 cal. a BP. Then, between 6040 and 4860 cal. a BP, the climate was humid and vegtation was more flourishing in the Chaohu Lake Valley. The Holocene Optimum occurred at 5840–5500 cal. a BP in the Chaohu Lake, showing the best condition of water and heat. Elm Decline occurred at the period of 5380–4930 cal. a BP. Since 4860 cal. a BP, the climate was warm and dry through 2170 cal. a BP as shown in both pollen spectrum and grain-size histories. Two obvious dry events occurred in 3760 and 2170 cal. a BP, respectively. At 2170 cal. a BP, the water level of the Chaohu Lake reached the lowest as the lakebed possibly exposed. Such lake sediment observations are consistent with the historical records in this area.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ding Z L, Yu Z, Rutter N W, et al. Towards an orbital time scale for Chinese loess deposits. Quat Sci Rev, 1994, 13: 39–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Ji L. High-solution study on Lacustrine sedimentary records for past 2000 years in China: Developments and problems. Adv Earth Sci (in Chinese), 1995, 10(2): 169–175

    Google Scholar 

  3. Liu D S, Liu J Q, Lv H Y. Progress in high-resolution paleoenvironment research from Maar Lake. Quat Sci (in Chinese), 1998, (4): 289–295

  4. Pu P M, Tu Q Y, Wang S M. Progress of limnology in China. Chin J Oceanol Limnol, 1991, 9(3): 193–206

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Bjorck S, Olsson S, Ellis-Evans C, et al. Late Holocene palaeoclimatic records from lake sediments on James Rose Island, Antarctica. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol, 1996, 121: 195–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Zhou D Q. Lacustrine sedimentary records and past global change. Bull Mineral Petrol Geochem (in Chinese), 2006, 25(3): 262–265

    Google Scholar 

  7. Chen J A, Wan G J, Tang D G, et al. Recent climate changes recorded by sediment grain sizes and isotopes in Erhai Lake. Progr Nat Sci (in Chinese), 2000, 10(2): 1–7

    Google Scholar 

  8. Duan L P, Wang L S, Dong X B. The preliminary study of palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental indicators and their information on geological disasters in lake records. Sediment Geol Tethyan Geol (in Chinese), 2002, 22(1): 25–32

    Google Scholar 

  9. Mayer B, Schwark L. A 15,000-year stable isotope record from sediments of Lake Steisslingen, southwest Germany. Chem Geol, 1999, 161: 315–337

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Zhang H C, Ma Y Z, Wünnemann B, et al. A Holocene climatic record from arid northwestern China. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol, 2000, 162: 389–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Yang Z D, Xu X L, Gu F. Remote sensing investigations on the lake shore collapsing and silting of the Chao Lake. Remote Sens Land Resour (in Chinese), 1999, 42(4): 1–7

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Fan B, Xu S Y, Yu L Z, et al. Phytolith in the sediment of the the Chaohu Lake since Middle Holocene and its paleoenvironmental implications. J Lake Sci (in Chinese), 2006, 18(3): 273–279

    Google Scholar 

  13. Jia T F, Dai X R, Zhang W G, et al. Sediment records in Chaohu Lake and its significance on environmental change in Holocene. Sci Geogr Sin (in Chinese), 2006, 26(6): 706–711

    Google Scholar 

  14. Wang X Y, He H, Qian Y C, et al. An inference of ancient JUCHAO city based on environment archaeology. J Anhui Norm Univ (Nat Sci) (in Chinese), 2005, 28(1): 97–102

    Google Scholar 

  15. Yang X D, Wu Y H, Zhu Y X, et al. Environmental changes revealed by lacustrine sediment from Longgan Lake since last glacial maximum. J Lake Sci (in Chinese), 2002, 14(2): 106–110

    Google Scholar 

  16. Zhang C, Pan B. The study of basin of Chao Lake and its changes. J Anhui Norm Univ (Nat Sci) (in Chinese), 1990, (1): 48–56

  17. Zhu G, Xu J W, Liu G S, et al. Tectonic controlling on formation of the lower Yangtze foreland basin. Geol Rev (in Chinese), 1998, 44(2): 120–129

    Google Scholar 

  18. Zhu J X. Discussion on mine-controlling tectonics of Chaohu coalfield, Anhui Province. Coal Geol Explor (in Chinese), 2004, 32(2): 4–6

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Yang D, Li X, Zhang Z. Lake evolution along middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River. J Lake Sci (in Chinese), 2000, 12(3): 226–232

    Google Scholar 

  20. Zhang C J, Cao J, Lei Y B, et al. The chronological characteristics of Bosten Lake Holocene sediment environment in Xinjiang, China. Acta Sediment Sin (in Chinese), 2004, 22(3): 494–499.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Ren G. A finding of the influenee of ‘Hard Water’ on radio carbon dating for lake sediments in Inner Mongolia, China. J Lake Sci (in Chinese), 1998, 10(3): 80–82

    Google Scholar 

  22. Regnell J. Preparing pollen concentrations for AMS dating-a methodological study from a hard-water lake in southern Sweden. Boreas, 1992, 21: 373–377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Zhang Y L, Zhang M B, Song J. Development of ancestors’ cultivation revealed in phytolith assemblages from Guangfulin relics. Chin Sci Bull, 2003, 48(3): 287–290

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Peyron P, Jolly D, Bonnefille R, et al. Climate of East Africa 6000 14C yr B.P. as inferred from pollen data. Quat Res, 2000, 54: 90–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Parshall T, Calcote R. Effect of pollen from regional vegetation on stand-scale forest reconstruction. Holocene, 2001, 11(1): 81–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Seppa H, Bennett K D. Quaternary pollen analysis: recent progress in palaeoclimatology. Progr Phys Geogr, 2003, 27(4): 548–579

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Sun Q L, Zhou J, Xiao J L. Grain-size Characteristics of Lake Daihai sediments and its Paleaoenvironment Significance. Mar Geol Quat Geol (in Chinese), 2001, 21(1): 93–95

    Google Scholar 

  28. Liu X Q, Wang S M, Shen J. The grain-size of the Core QH-2000 in Qinghai Lake and its implication for paleoclimate and paleoenvironment. J Lake Sci (in Chinese), 2003, 15(2): 112–117

    Google Scholar 

  29. Chen J, Wan G J, Xu J. Sediment particle sizes and the dry-humid transformation of the regional climate in Erhai Lake. Acta Sediment Sin (in Chinese) 2000, 18(3): 341–345

    Google Scholar 

  30. Wang N L, Yao T D, Thompson L G, et al. Evidence for cold events in the early Holocene from the Guliya ice core, Tibetan Plateau, China. Chin Sci Bull, 2002, 47(7): 1422–1427

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. He H C, Wang Y, Li S H. Tracing flood water level along Nanjing cliff bank of the Yangtze River. Acta Geogr Sin (in Chinese), 2004, 159(6): 938–947

    Google Scholar 

  32. Iversen J. The development of Denmark’s nature since the last glacial. Danmarks Geologisike Undersogelse V Raekke, 1973, 7C: 1–126

    Google Scholar 

  33. Wang Q L, Li C A, Xie Y Y. Sedimentory records of paleoclimatic evolution in Jiangling, Jianghan Plain in the past 9 ka. J Lake Sci (in Chinese), 2006, 18(3): 280–284

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Territorial Resources and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241000, China

    XinYuan Wang & Li Wu

  2. Work Station for Remote Sensing Archaeology, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241000, China

    XinYuan Wang & Li Wu

  3. College of Geography and Marine Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China

    GuangSheng Zhang

  4. Department of Management Information Systems, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA

    XiHui Zhang

  5. Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    EnLou Zhang, XiaYun Xiao & QingFeng Jiang

Authors
  1. XinYuan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. GuangSheng Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Li Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. XiHui Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. EnLou Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. XiaYun Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. QingFeng Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to XinYuan Wang.

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40571162), the Key Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 90411015) and the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province (Grant No. 050450401)

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, X., Zhang, G., Wu, L. et al. Environmental changes during early-middle Holocene from the sediment record of the Chaohu Lake, Anhui Province. Chin. Sci. Bull. 53 (Suppl 1), 153–160 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-008-5009-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-008-5009-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation