| Precipitation variations in arid central Asia over past 2500 years: Possible effects of climate change on development of Silk Road civilization | |
| Ding, Guoqiang1,2; Chen, Jianhui1; Lei, Yanbin3; Lv, Feiya4; Ma, Rui1; Chen, Shengqian3; Ma, Shuai1; Sun, Yuanhao1; Li, Yuecong5; Wang, Haipeng6; Shi, Zhilin7; Seppä, Heikki2; Chen, Fahu1,3,8 | |
| 2023-07-01 | |
| Online publication date | 2023-05 |
| Source Publication | GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE Impact Factor & Quartile |
| ISSN | 0921-8181 |
| Volume | 226 |
| page numbers | 12 |
| Abstract | The ecological environment of arid central Asia (ACA) is fragile and sensitive to long-term climate change. Recent palaeoclimatological studies have mainly focused on northwestern China, which is located on the eastern side of the region. Holocene palaeoclimate records from the western region of ACA are scarce, thus hindering the exploration of the relationship between climate change and Silk Road civilization. In this study, we conduct a pollen analysis of Lake Sasikul on the Pamir Plateau in Tajikistan and use pollen data to quantitatively reconstruct the precipitation history over the last 2500 years. The results show that herbaceous pollen is primarily represented by Artemisia and Amaranthaceae, thus suggesting the persistent dominance of grassland in the vicinity of Lake Sasikul. Amaranthaceae, which is the most drought-tolerant pollen type, shows the highest values during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP, 950–1300 CE). The values of Artemisia and cold-wet-adapted Picea pollen are higher during the Little Ice Age (LIA, 1550–1900 CE). The quantitative reconstruction shows that during the MWP, the mean annual precipitation is 120 mm, which is approximately 15% lower than the level of modern precipitation; meanwhile, during the LIA, the average annual precipitation is 160 mm (up to 210 mm), which is approximately 20% higher than the present value. We combine our results with regional temperature records and archaeological data to discuss the possible effects of climate change on the development of Silk Road civilization. The hydrothermal configuration may have altered water resources and thus affect human activities in ACA. From 580 to 900 CE, i.e. during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, ice and snow meltwater increased under warm climate, whereas the amount of precipitation was average. Additionally, human settlements intensified along with urbanization, and the Silk Road civilization was prosperous and well-developed. From 1270 to 1650 CE, i.e. during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, under overall colder and drier conditions and due to insufficient freshwater input, the intensity of local human settlement weakened, and the Silk Road civilization declined. Therefore, owing to global warming and increasing precipitation, new development opportunities have emerged for the development of agriculture and social economy in ACA. © 2023 Elsevier B.V. |
| Keyword | Biodiversity Ecology Global warming Ice Roads and streets Silk Amaranthaceae Central Asia Climate regime Human settlements Late Holocene Precipitation variation Silk roads WA-PLS Waters resources Westerly-dominated climate regime |
| Publisher | Elsevier B.V. |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104142 |
| Indexed By | EI ; SCIE |
| Language | 英语 |
| WOS Research Area | Physical Geography ; Geology |
| WOS Subject | Geography, Physical ; Geosciences, Multidisciplinary |
| WOS ID | WOS:001009703200001 |
| EI Accession Number | 20232214170526 |
| EI Keywords | Lakes |
| EI Classification Number | 406.2 Roads and Streets ; 443.1 Atmospheric Properties ; 454 Environmental Engineering ; 454.3 Ecology and Ecosystems ; 819.1 Natural Fibers |
| Original Document Type | Journal article (JA) |
| Citation statistics | |
| Document Type | 期刊论文 |
| Identifier | https://ir.lzu.edu.cn/handle/262010/529154 |
| Collection | 兰州大学 |
| Corresponding Author | Chen, Jianhui |
| Affiliation | 1.MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental System, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou; 730000, China; 2.Department of Geography and Geosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki; 00014, Finland; 3.Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing; 100101, China; 4.College of Geography and Tourism, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde; 415000, China; 5.School of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang; 050024, China; 6.State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou; 730000, China; 7.Institute of Dunhuang Studies, School of History & Culture, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou; 73000, China; 8.CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing; 100101, China |
| First Author Affilication | Lanzhou University |
| Corresponding Author Affilication | Lanzhou University |
| Recommended Citation GB/T 7714 | Ding, Guoqiang,Chen, Jianhui,Lei, Yanbin,et al. Precipitation variations in arid central Asia over past 2500 years: Possible effects of climate change on development of Silk Road civilization[J]. GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE,2023,226. |
| APA | Ding, Guoqiang.,Chen, Jianhui.,Lei, Yanbin.,Lv, Feiya.,Ma, Rui.,...&Chen, Fahu.(2023).Precipitation variations in arid central Asia over past 2500 years: Possible effects of climate change on development of Silk Road civilization.GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE,226. |
| MLA | Ding, Guoqiang,et al."Precipitation variations in arid central Asia over past 2500 years: Possible effects of climate change on development of Silk Road civilization".GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE 226(2023). |
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