Atmospheric systems drive spatiotemporal divergence of dust and moisture changes across Asia over the past 130,000 years
Loess-paleosol sequences across Asia provide a critical archive of past dust deposition and climate dynamics shaped by westerlies and Asian monsoons. We compile luminescence ages and climatic proxies from 107 loess sections to reconstruct dust mass accumulation rates (MARs) and hydroclimate variability over the past 130 thousand years (ka). The results reveal a consistent pattern: high MARs and low moisture during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 4 to 2 (71 to 12 ka) and low MARs with high moisture during MIS 5 (130 to 71 ka) and MIS 1 (12 ka to present). These shifts are driven by cooling-induced changes in atmospheric humidity linked to fluctuations in ice volume across glacial-interglacial cycles. Within MIS 5, MIS 4 to 2, and MIS 1, pronounced spatial and temporal contrasts in MARs and moisture emerge between westerlies-dominated northern Iran and central Asia and monsoon-dominated East Asia. Notably, westerly and monsoonal precipitation vary out of phase, driven by insolation-controlled shifts in moisture transport.
Authors
- Shugang Kang
- Aditi K. Dave (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2836-9155)
- Chunzhu Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4745-2544)
- Kathryn E. Fitzsimmons (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9337-0793)
- Run Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4782-7163)
- Peirui Du
- Qiufang Chang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7683-8035)
- Thomas Stevens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6662-6650)
- Lupeng Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3014-705X)
- Jiaxin Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6202-6722)
- Lele Shu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6903-4466)
- C. Y. E
- Zhongfeng Yan
- Le Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2137-5341)
- Xi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6741-4094)
- Ji Lai
- Shuangwen Yi
- Dongmei Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0317-3818)
- Haitao Wei
- Y. X. Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0256-4320)
- He Yang
- Luo Qin
- Zhiyong Ling
- Tao Lu
- Jan-Pieter Buylaert
- Jin Yang
- Zhongping Lai
- Guoqiang Li
- Yixuan Wang
- Yanqing Deng
- Xiaojian Zhang
- Siyi Gou
- Haichao Xie
- Qiuyue Zhao
- Xiaoyan Wang
- Fahu Chen
Institutions
- Roskilde University (DK)
- Uppsala University (SE)
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Linyi University (CN)
- Jiaying University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Nantong University (CN)
- Qinghai Normal University (CN)
- Chengdu University of Information Technology (CN)
- Shantou University (CN)
- Guangzhou University (CN)
- Henan Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Zhengzhou Normal University (CN)
- Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (CN)
- Taishan University (CN)
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (CN)
- Taishan Medical University (CN)
- Institute of Earth Environment (CN)
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Monash University (AU)
- Lanzhou University (CN)
- Nanjing University (CN)
- Technical University of Denmark (DK)
- University of Lausanne (CH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2026-03-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adx8500
- Primary Topic
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00