A 200-year annually laminated stalagmite record of precipitation seasonality in southeastern China and its linkages to ENSO and PDO

Abstract

In southeastern China (SEC), the precipitation amount produced by the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) is almost equivalent to that during the non-summer monsoon (NSM) period, both of them significantly affecting agriculture and socioeconomy. Here, we present a seasonally-resolved stalagmite δ ¹⁸O record (δ ¹⁸O _s) for the interval 1810–2009 AD from E’mei cave, Jiangxi Province, SEC. The comparison between δ ¹⁸O _s and instrumental data indicates that the δ ¹⁸O _s variability is primarily controlled by the precipitation seasonality (i.e., the ratio of EASM/NSM precipitation) modulated by the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on interannual to interdecadal timescales. Higher (lower) δ ¹⁸O _s values thereby correspond to lower (higher) EASM/NSM ratios associated with El Niño (La Niña) events. Significant correlations with ENSO and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) indicate that the precipitation seasonality in SEC is remarkably influenced by ocean-atmosphere interactions, with lower (higher) EASM/NSM ratios during warm (cold) phases of ENSO/PDO. The progressive increase in δ ¹⁸O _s since 2005 AD may reflect a strengthening of the central Pacific El Niño under continued anthropogenic global warming. The relationship between seasonal precipitation and δ ¹⁸O _s with ENSO/PDO requires further studies.