Holocene paleoclimatic reconstruction based on mud deposits on the inner shelf of the East China Sea

We present a paleoclimatic reconstruction of the mid-Holocene by geochemical analysis of a sediment core MZ01 retrieved from the mud area of the inner continental shelf of the East China Sea (ECS). Our results show that the downcore geochemical variations in the sediments of the core provide a link to historical climate changes. Relatively higher ratios of CIA, Ba/Sr and a lower ratio of CaO/MgO coincide with major regional warm and humid climate episodes, and vice versa. Therefore, these geochemical indicators are useful in reconstructing the paleoclimate in eastern China. Using the geochemical records of core MZ01, which are well constrained by AMS C-14 dating, we found that from 8300 yr BP to 4200 yr BP the regional climate was moderately warm and humid, and from 4200 yr BP to 2300 yr BP the climate was cool and dry, with large fluctuations between cool-dry (3700 yr BP, 2850 yr BP and 2400 yr BP) and warm-wet (3250 yr BP and 2650 yr BP). Since 2300 yr BP, our records indicate that the climate has gradually become warmer, although a cold event centered at around 250 yr BP (the Little Ice Age, LIA) interrupted this warming trend. We also found significant 238 yr cycles in our CIA records that imply a possible solar influence on the regional climate changes since the mid-Holocene. Published by Elsevier Ltd.