干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

There have been large discrepancies in the proposed mechanisms accounting for the wetting trend since similar to 8.0 cal. kyr BP in the Altai Mountains and the surrounding areas. To validate or invalidate the widely reported wetting trend, we obtained a carbon isotope of cellulose (delta C-13(celluose))-recorded warm-season moisture history from a Narenxia (NRX) peat core in the southern Altai Mountains, northern Xinjiang, NW China. The delta C-13(celluose)-recorded warm-season moisture reconstruction of the NRX peat core provides a strong support to the widely reported proposition that the climate was generally dry before similar to 8.0 cal. kyr BP and was changed to a wetting trend during the past similar to 8000 years in the Altai Mountains and the surrounding areas. The wetting trend since similar to 8.0 cal. kyr BP well resembles the increasing trend of the reconnaissance drought index (RDI) that was calculated on the basis of pollen-inferred temperature and precipitation data from the same core. The resemblance implies that the wetting trend during the past similar to 8 000 years resulted from the combined effect of temperature and precipitation.