Kulishu Cave, China Speleothem Oxygen Isotope Data 13.8-10.4 ky BP Orland, I.J.; Edwards, R.L.; Cheng, H.; Kozdon, R.; Cross, M.; Valley, J.W. Orland, I.J. Edwards, R.L. Cheng, H. Kozdon, R. Cross, M. Valley, J.W. Monsoon earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (delta 18O,calcite,two standard deviations,per mil VPDB,null,speleothems,raw,multiple collector secondary ion mass spectrometry,N,spot-to-spot reproducibility; 10um-diameter analysis spots) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (depth,null,null,micrometer,null,speleothems,null,null,N,depth measured from top of BW-1 translated to align with isotope record from Ma et al. (2012)) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (age,null,null,calendar year before present,null,speleothems,null,null,N,present defined as 1950 CE; age model is a linear interpolation between U-Th ages from Ma et al. (2012) except between 11475 and 11537 yr BP where ages are assigned based on band-counting) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (delta 18O,calcite,null,per mil VPDB,null,speleothems,raw,multiple collector secondary ion mass spectrometry,N,10um-diameter analysis spots) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (Kulishu Cave>LATITUDE 39.7>LONGITUDE 115.7) Chinese speleothems (cave deposits) preserve a remarkable paleoclimate record in their oxygen isotope ratios (d18O); the precise interpretation of this record has been the subject of stimulating discussion. Most studies link the d18O variability in Chinese speleothems to regional summer monsoon rainfall and/or rainfall integrated between tropical sources and cave sites. Discussion has centered on mechanisms behind this link as well as the location and seasonality of hypothesized rainfall changes. Until now, these hypotheses were not directly tested in speleothems because conventional drill sampling techniques are insufficient for measuring speleothem d18O at seasonal resolution. Here we use an ion microprobe to analyze seasonal d18O variability in an annually banded stalagmite from Kulishu Cave (northeastern China) that grew during the last deglaciation. The new seasonal resolution data show that the stalagmite d18O values record two aspects of regional monsoon dynamics: (1) changes in the isotopic fractionation of water vapor sourced from both the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and (2) the annual proportion of summer monsoon rainfall, which was systematically greater during the Holocene and Bølling-Allerød than during the Younger Dryas. Both relate to regional rainfall; the isotopic fractionation changes also relate to rainfall integrated from tropical sources. STUDY NOTES: Oxygen isotope data and age model from sample BW-1 of Kulishu Cave in northeast China NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Orland, I.J. Investigator : Edwards, R.L. Investigator : Cheng, H. Investigator : Kozdon, R. Investigator : Cross, M. Investigator : Valley, J.W. 2017-10-26 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/22932 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/asia/china/kulishu2015d18o.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/asia/china/kulishu2015d18o.txt English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/22932 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/asia/china/kulishu2015d18o.txt Ian J. Orland, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng, Reinhard Kozdon, Mellissa Cross, John W. Valley2015Direct measurements of deglacial monsoon strength in a Chinese stalagmiteGeology436555-55810.1130/G36612.1https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/geology/article-abstract/43/6/555/131935/direct-measurements-of-deglacial-monsoon-strength START YEAR: 13833 cal yr BP * END YEAR: 10361 cal yr BP 115.7 39.7 115.7 39.7