干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

This paper reviews the modern process studies for four types of proxies (tree-ring, biologic indicators, physical proxies and geochemical indexes) in arid north-western China for the purpose of better understanding their environmental indication for reconstructing paleoenvironment and paleoclimate. These proxies are affected by many variables in some cases, such as temperature, precipitation, pH, topography etc., and their indicative meanings may become complex sometimes. For this reason, multiple proxies might be used to complement each other if conditions permit. Moreover, potential differences of each proxy should be taken into consideration when they were used. This paper indicates the application of each modern process proxy and their advantages and disadvantages, so as to give some references to fossil data interpretation and environment reconstruction in arid north-western China.