HOLIVAR2006 Abstracts
Assessing palaeomonsoon variability during the Late Quaternary: Evidence from the lake sediment archives of Yunnan Province, China.
Charlotte G. Dew1, Richard T. Jones1, Melanie J. Leng2, Peter G. Langdon1 and Enlou Zhang3
1School of Geography, Archaeology and Earth Resources, University of Exeter, Amory Building, Rennes Drive, Exeter, Devon. EX4 4RJ, UK
2NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham. NG12 5GG, UK
3Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
Contact: Charlotte Dew (cd238@exeter.ac.uk)
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The Asian Monsoon system influences the lives of more than a billion people in Asia who depend on the rains for farming and food. However, our understanding of the natural variability of this phenomenon, including its strength, timing, and maximal/minimal ranges is limited at present. In particular, abrupt, centennial to millennial variations in the Asian monsoon system are of interest because these could have significant consequences within relatively short time scales. Furthermore, how the monsoon system connects to other aspects of the global climate system is unclear. Development of detailed palaeomonsoon records can help to clarify these issues.
This project seeks to further our understanding of the south-western Asian Monsoon system through development of a high-resolution palaeoclimatic record of south-western Asian Monsoon variability spanning the Late Glacial Interstadial Transition (LGIT) and the Early Holocene. The project focuses on high-altitude lake sediment records from Yunnan Province, China. These sequences are being analysed using a variety of proxy evidence, including stable isotopes (δ13C, δ18O), pollen, sedimentological, and zoobenthos indicators. Here, we present a progress report on the first year of the project, which includes some initial results based on data collected during fieldwork in July 2005 and March 2006.
After completing an honours degree in Geography and an MSc in Environmental Management (specialising in flood risk management) at Nottingham University, Charlotte Dew successfully completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Law at the College of Law before joining the Environment Agency's Flood Defence division in Thames Region working on legal issues. This was followed by a period working as a Science Programmes Officer for NERC, specialising in Earth Sciences research. Charlotte is now in her first year of a NERC funded PhD at Exeter University which focuses on palaeomonsoon variability in China during the Late Quaternary. She is interested in all aspects of climate change, but has a particular passion for abrupt climate change during the Late Glacial Interstadial Transition.