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Simulation of paleoclimate over East Asia at 6 ka BP and 21 ka BP by a regional climate model

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Abstract

Using a regional climate model with detailed land surface processes (RegCM2), East Asian monsoon climates at 6 ka BP and 21 ka BP are simulated by prescribing vegetation and employing paleovegetation respectively in order to examine land surface effects on East Asian climate system and the potential mechanisms for climate change. The RegCM2 with a 120 × 120 km2 resolution has simulated the enlargement of the seasonal cycle of insolation, the temperature rising the whole year, and the reduction of perpetual snow in high latitudes at 6 ka BP. The simulation shows the East Asian summer monsoon strengthening, precipitation and P–E increasing, and the monsoon rain belt shifting westwards and northwards. Effect of paleovegetation included in the modeling reduced surface albedo and caused an increase in the winter temperature, which led to weakening of the winter continental cold anticyclone over China. The results make the seasonal characteristics of simulated temperature changes in better agreement with the geological records, and are an improvement over previous simulations of Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). The RegCM2 simulated the 21 ka BP climate with lowered temperature throughout the year, and with precipitation reduced in most areas of East Asia (but increased in both the Tibetan Plateau and Central Asia). Low temperature over East Asia led to the strengthening of the East Asian winter monsoon and the shrinking of the summer monsoon. The effect of paleovegetation included in the experiment has enlarged the glacial climate influence in East Asia, which is closer to geological data than the PMIP simulations directly driven by insolation, glaciation and low CO2 concentration.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to Prof. John E. Kutzbach, Dr. P. Behling and Dr. S. Rauscher for providing NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA) CCM1 results for 0 ka /6 ka /21 ka BP. The authors would like to thank Prof. John E. Kutzbach and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments for improvement of an earlier version of this study. This work is funded jointly by the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 40201048), the National Key Project for Basic Research on the Processes of Lake Eutrophication and the Mechanism of Cyanobacterial Blooming (2002CB412301), the Innovation Key Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS KZCX1-SW-12), and fundings from CAS KZCX3-SW-321, NSFC 40231011 and NSFC 40205012. Finally we are indebted to NCAR for the RegCM2 Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nan**g Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nan**g 210008, China

    Y. Q. Zheng, G. Yu, S. M. Wang & B. Xue

  2. Institute of Meteorology, PLA University of Sciences and Technology, Nan**g 211101, China

    Y. Q. Zheng, D. Q. Zhuo, X. M. Zeng & H. Q. Liu

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  1. Y. Q. Zheng
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  2. G. Yu
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Zheng, Y.Q., Yu, G., Wang, S.M. et al. Simulation of paleoclimate over East Asia at 6 ka BP and 21 ka BP by a regional climate model. Climate Dynamics 23, 513–529 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-004-0452-7

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