Multi-proxy reconstruction of climate changes from the Medieval Climate Anomaly to the Little Ice Age in Southeast China

Abstract

Exploring climate fluctuations across geological eras provides crucial historical context for addressing contemporary global climate challenges. This research leverages multi-proxies records analytical techniques, including pollen and charcoal analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and assessments of humification degree and loss on ignition (LOI), alongside paleoclimate simulations based on an alpine peat bog in Jiangxi Province, Southeast China. The study aims to provide a comprehensive review of vegetation evolution, climatic shifts, East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) intensity, and the potential drivers behind EASM behavior over the past two millennia. Our findings reveal a significant transition in precipitation and temperature patterns from the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA, 960–1420 CE) to the Little Ice Age (LIA, 1420–1850 CE). A distinct pattern emerges, highlighting particularly wet periods occurring between 960–1050 CE, 1190–1250 CE, and 1350–1400 CE, as well as significant droughts during 1430–1550 CE, 1590–1650 CE, 1680–1720 CE, and 1750–1800 CE. When compared to our temperature reconstruction series and precipitation data, a clear correlation emerges—wet phases align with warmer period characteristic of the MCA. Based on our simulation results, we suggest that ENSO oscillations and the Indo-Pacific warm pool played a substantial role in driving climate dynamics from the MCA to the LIA.