Xiaobailong Cave, Southwest China 240 Year Speleothem Stable Isotope Data Tan, L.; Cai, Y.; An, Z.; Cheng, H.; Shen, C.-C.; Gao, Y.; Edwards, R.L. Tan, L. Cai, Y. An, Z. Cheng, H. Shen, C.-C. Gao, Y. Edwards, R.L. Monsoon earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (delta 18O,calcium carbonate,null,per mil VPDB,null,speleothems,raw,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (age,null,null,year Common Era,null,speleothems,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (delta 13C,calcium carbonate,null,per mil VPDB,null,speleothems,raw,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (XiaoBailong Cave>LATITUDE 24.2>LONGITUDE 103.35) Based on an absolutely dated stalagmite d18O record from Yunnan province, China, we reconstructed monsoon precipitation variations in southwest China since 1760 AD with a resolution of about 2 years. Combining the speleothem d18O and observed rainfall records, we find an overall decreasing trend in monsoon precipitation in this region and suggest that the recent drought in 2009-2012 AD has been the driest since 1760 AD. Our speleothem record is consistent with the monsoon precipitation records reconstructed from tree rings in the Nepal Himalaya and southeastern Tibetan Plateau. However, it is anti-correlated with a speleothem record from central India, which confirms the observed anti-phase variations of Indian monsoon precipitation with moistures from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea on multi-decadal to centennial timescales during historical time. The long-term warming of tropical ocean may have caused the decrease of the land-sea thermal gradient and the amount of moisture transported from the Bay of Bengal, which may reduce precipitations in southwest China during the last 240 years. On decadal scale, El Nino-like conditions of tropical Pacific sea surface temperature may cause drought in this region. Climate model simulations suggest El Niño-like conditions exist in tropical Pacific under global warming scenarios. As a result, it is crucial to have adaptive strategies to overcome future declines in precipitation and/or drought events in southwest China. STUDY NOTES: Speleothem oxygen and carbon isotope records from Xiaobailong Cave, Southwest China over the last 240 years. NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Tan, L. Investigator : Cai, Y. Investigator : An, Z. Investigator : Cheng, H. Investigator : Shen, C.-C. Investigator : Gao, Y. Investigator : Edwards, R.L. 2017-12-07 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/23211 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/asia/china/xiaobailong2017.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/asia/china/xiaobailong2017.txt English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/23211 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/asia/china/xiaobailong2017.txt Liangcheng Tan, Yanjun Cai, Zhisheng An, Hai Cheng, Chuan-Chou Shen, Yongli Gao, R. Lawrence Edwards2017Decreasing monsoon precipitation in southwest China during the last 240 years associated with the warming of tropical oceanClimate Dynamics485-61769-177810.1007/s00382-016-3171-yhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00382-016-3171-y START YEAR: 1760 AD * END YEAR: 1981 AD 103.35 24.2 103.35 24.2