AMOC Weakening Controls δ 18 O but Not Rainfall in North China During Deglacial Abrupt Events

Abstract East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) varied at orbital and millennial timescales during the Last Deglaciation (∼20–11 ka). The uniform δ 18 O response in East China is often linked to EASM circulation that drives a precipitation dipole in North and South China on orbital scale. Yet the relationship between stalagmite oxygen isotopes (δ 18 O c ) and regional rainfall remains ambiguous at millennial timescales. Combining proxy records with isotope‐enabled transient climate simulations (iTraCE), we demonstrate a decoupling between changes in δ 18 O c and regional precipitation in North China during millennial‐scale events. Although δ 18 O c responds uniformly across East China to AMOC changes and is correlated with South China rainfall, North China rainfall is instead largely driven by insolation, with negligible millennial‐scale variability. This reflects that East China δ 18 O c is driven by AMOC‐induced shifts in moisture source δ 18 O. Our findings emphasize that δ 18 O c records require forcing‐specific interpretation in East Asia across timescales.