{"id":487602,"date":"2026-11-13T07:01:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T14:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=487602"},"modified":"2026-11-13T07:23:20","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T14:23:20","slug":"ancient-climate-records-reveal-threshold-that-triggered-abrupt-cold-and-drought-in-east-asian-monsoon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=487602","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Climate Records Reveal Threshold That Triggered Abrupt Cold and Drought in East Asian Monsoon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"564\" data-attachment-id=\"487603\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=487603\" 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data-image-title=\"0 Ancient Climate Records Reveal Threshold That Triggered Abrupt Cold and Drought in East Asian Monsoon\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Signature: 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&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Ancient-Climate-Records-Reveal-Threshold-That-Triggered-Abrupt-Cold-and-Drought-in-East-Asian-Monsoon.jpg?fit=840%2C564&amp;ssl=1&amp;wsr\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Ancient-Climate-Records-Reveal-Threshold-That-Triggered-Abrupt-Cold-and-Drought-in-East-Asian-Monsoon.jpg?resize=840%2C564&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Arid, cracked landscape with layered mountains, a floating planet and sun, molecular hexagon overlay, and declining line graph symbolizing climate change.\" class=\"wp-image-487603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Ancient-Climate-Records-Reveal-Threshold-That-Triggered-Abrupt-Cold-and-Drought-in-East-Asian-Monsoon.jpg?resize=1024%2C687&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Ancient-Climate-Records-Reveal-Threshold-That-Triggered-Abrupt-Cold-and-Drought-in-East-Asian-Monsoon.jpg?resize=300%2C201&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Ancient-Climate-Records-Reveal-Threshold-That-Triggered-Abrupt-Cold-and-Drought-in-East-Asian-Monsoon.jpg?resize=768%2C516&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Ancient-Climate-Records-Reveal-Threshold-That-Triggered-Abrupt-Cold-and-Drought-in-East-Asian-Monsoon.jpg?resize=640%2C430&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Ancient-Climate-Records-Reveal-Threshold-That-Triggered-Abrupt-Cold-and-Drought-in-East-Asian-Monsoon.jpg?resize=521%2C350&amp;ssl=1 521w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Ancient-Climate-Records-Reveal-Threshold-That-Triggered-Abrupt-Cold-and-Drought-in-East-Asian-Monsoon.jpg?w=1168&amp;ssl=1 1168w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>AI generated by Grok<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Researchers from Utrecht University (with partners in China and Belgium) analyzed 250,000- year climate records from the Chinese Loess Plateau and found that the East Asian monsoon generally tracks long- term changes in incoming solar radiation driven by Earth\u2019s orbital variations, but crosses into abrupt, multi- thousand- year periods of extreme cold and drought when radiation drops below a critical threshold- especially under low atmospheric CO\u2082.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work was published in <em>Communications Earth &amp; Environment<\/em> (Lu et al., 2026; DOI: 10.1038\/s43247-026-04060-3). Lead author Hao Lu and co- author Francien Peterse (Utrecht University Faculty of Geosciences) highlight its relevance: about one- fifth of the world\u2019s population depends on the East Asian monsoon for freshwater, so understanding how climate change affects its rainfall is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conventional proxies often mix temperature and precipitation signals. The team used variations in the molecular structure of soil bacterial membrane lipids (branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers, or brGDGTs) preserved in loess sediments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bacteria adjust these molecules differently in response to temperature versus moisture, allowing the researchers to reconstruct the two signals separately.<a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-11-ancient-climate-reveal-east-asian.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2060<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On <strong>orbital (tens to hundreds of thousands of years) timescales<\/strong>, both temperature and precipitation largely follow insolation changes. Precipitation can lag by a few thousand years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Abrupt departures occur when <strong>Northern Hemisphere summer insolation <\/strong>falls below a threshold (previously identified in modeling work by a co- author). These produce <strong>extreme cold -dry conditions<\/strong> that persist for several thousand years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The climate recovers only after insolation rises back above the threshold.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Such events are most pronounced during <strong>glacial periods with low CO\u2082<\/strong>, showing that background climate state modulates sensitivity.<a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-11-ancient-climate-reveal-east-asian.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2060<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comparison with climate- model output confirmed the timing and the role of the insolation threshold in triggering land- based abrupt change, linked to feedback involving sea ice, ocean circulation, and atmospheric teleconnections.<a href=\"https:\/\/scienmag.com\/east-asian-glacial-cold-and-dry-extremes-linked-to-insolation-thresholds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2060<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The authors note that these <strong>ancient glacial events<\/strong> are not direct analogs for present- day extremes, but they improve understanding of how<strong> solar- radiation changes<\/strong> can drive abrupt monsoon responses. The study builds on earlier methodological work by the group that separated temperature and precipitation signals in East Asian records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"339\" data-attachment-id=\"487609\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=487609\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?fit=1750%2C706&amp;ssl=1&amp;wsr\" data-orig-size=\"1750,706\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?fit=840%2C339&amp;ssl=1&amp;wsr\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?resize=840%2C339&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Map of the Chinese Loess Plateau showing sampling sites, rivers, elevation, and winter and summer monsoon directions, with an inset regional map.\" class=\"wp-image-487609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?resize=1024%2C413&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?resize=300%2C121&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?resize=768%2C310&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?resize=1536%2C620&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?resize=640%2C258&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?resize=1200%2C484&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?resize=868%2C350&amp;ssl=1 868w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?w=1750&amp;ssl=1 1750w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-99.png?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>Map of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) and modern meteorological data near the study site. Credit: Communications Earth &amp; Environment (2026). DOI: 10.1038\/s43247-026-04060-3<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past ~250,000 years, temperature and precipitation in the East Asian monsoon region largely followed changes in <strong>incoming solar radiation <\/strong>(insolation)<strong> driven by Milankovitch cycles<\/strong>, the slow variations in Earth\u2019s orbital eccentricity, axial tilt (obliquity), and precession. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Higher summer insolation generally strengthened the summer monsoon (warmer and wetter conditions); lower insolation weakened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key nuances from the research:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Precipitation sometimes lagged temperature by <strong>a few thousand years<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The tracking was not perfect. When Northern Hemisphere summer insolation fell below a critical threshold (roughly in the 352\u20133 58 W\/m\u00b2 range in the model comparisons), the system crossed into abrupt, multi- thousand- year episodes of<strong> extreme cold and drought<\/strong>. These \u201cdepartures\u201d were especially pronounced during <strong>glacial periods<\/strong> when atmospheric CO\u2082 was low.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recovery occurred only after insolation rose back above the threshold.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The researchers reconstructed these signals separately using branched <strong>glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs)<\/strong>, molecular fossils from soil bacteria preserved in Chinese Loess Plateau sediments, which allowed them to distinguish temperature from moisture effects more cleanly than traditional proxies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In short, the monsoon system does track orbital insolation forcing on long (orbital) timescales, but it can also respond nonlinearly and abruptly when certain thresholds are crossed. This is the pattern documented in the 2026 <em>Communications Earth &amp; Environment<\/em> paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"678\" data-attachment-id=\"487611\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=487611\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?fit=1600%2C1292&amp;ssl=1&amp;wsr\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1292\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?fit=840%2C678&amp;ssl=1&amp;wsr\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?resize=840%2C678&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Map of the North Atlantic showing ice-rafted debris belt, glacial ice coverage, and warm and cool ocean currents.\" class=\"wp-image-487611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?resize=1024%2C827&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?resize=300%2C242&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?resize=768%2C620&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?resize=1536%2C1240&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?resize=640%2C517&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?resize=1200%2C969&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?resize=433%2C350&amp;ssl=1 433w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-100.png?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/Heinrich-event\">Heinrich event | Causes, Timing, &amp; Facts | Britannica<\/a> <br><strong><em>Icebergs released into the North Atlantic during the initial warming intervals that follow cool periods have carried coarse-grained rocky debris into the North Atlantic Ocean to latitudes between 40\u00b0 N and 55\u00b0 N. This material falls away as the icebergs melt, creating a large ice-rafted debris (IRD) belt on the ocean floor<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Heinrich events<\/strong> were massive, episodic discharges of icebergs from the Laurentide Ice Sheet (primarily via the Hudson Strait) into the North Atlantic during the <strong>last glacial period<\/strong> (roughly 60,000\u201316,800 years ago). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Named after <strong>marine geologist Hartmut Heinrich<\/strong>, they produced distinctive layers of ice- rafted debris (IRD) on the seafloor and injected large volumes of freshwater into the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Major events <\/strong>(H1- H6) peaked around 16.8 ka (H1), 24 ka (H2), 31 ka (H3), 38 ka (H4), 45 ka (H5), and 60 ka (H6), with durations typically of a few hundred to ~2,000 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Freshwater fluxes could reach ~0.03- 0.13 Sv (Sverdrups), equivalent to several meters of global sea- level rise in extreme cases such as H4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The freshwater input reduced North Atlantic surface salinity and density, weakening or temporarily collapsing the <strong>Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This disrupted northward heat transport and produced Heinrich Stadials, prolonged cold periods in the North Atlantic and Northern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Subsurface ocean warming often preceded the events, potentially destabilizing marine- terminating ice margins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Climatic Impacts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>North Atlantic and Northern Hemisphere:<\/strong> Strong cooling (several degrees in Greenland and Europe), expanded sea ice, and altered ocean productivity. Proximal sites sometimes show complex or muted signals compared to remote ones.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-023-05875-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2060<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bipolar seesaw:<\/strong> <strong>Cooling and AMOC weakening<\/strong> in the north often coincided with (or led, with a lag of ~100- 150 years) accelerated warming in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Recent modeling attributes stronger Southern Hemisphere responses during Heinrich Stadials (vs. non- Heinrich stadials) to a<strong> \u201cbipolar convection seesaw\u201d:<\/strong> shutdown of North Atlantic convection triggers deep convection in the Southern Ocean, causing rapid sea -ice retreat, ocean ventilation, and abrupt atmospheric CO\u2082 rises of ~10\u2013 15 ppm on centennial timescales.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41561-025-01814-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2060<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global ocean and carbon cycle:<\/strong> Changes in deep- ocean ventilation, nutrient distribution, and productivity (e.g., increased subantarctic productivity). <strong>Methane increases <\/strong>also occurred synchronously with some events via atmospheric teleconnections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Impacts on Monsoon Systems (Especially East Asian)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Heinrich events commonly weakened the Asian summer monsoon, producing <strong>widespread aridity or megadroughts<\/strong> across the Afro- Asian monsoon domain (including catastrophic drought during H1). A southward shift of the <strong>Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) <\/strong>and reduced interhemispheric thermal contrast were key drivers.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.1198322\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2060<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In East Asia specifically:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Proxy records<\/strong> (speleothems, loess, lake sediments, pollen) show weakened <strong>East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM)<\/strong> intensity, cooler and drier conditions, and vegetation shifts toward cold- and drought- tolerant plants during H1- H6 and the<strong> Younger Dryas<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Spatial heterogeneity exists:<\/strong> some regions (e.g., parts of the Yangtze River Valley) experienced relatively wetter conditions or prolonged early- summer rainfall due to delayed northward migration of the monsoon rain belt (by ~18 days in simulations), linked to later advances of the western North Pacific subtropical high and westerly jet.<a href=\"https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/article\/10.1088\/1748-9326\/aebcfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2060<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Teleconnections<\/strong> involved Rossby wave propagation from North Atlantic cooling and reduced land\u2013 sea thermal contrast.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Responses could be phased (gradual onset, weak- monsoon plateau, gradual recovery) and sometimes decoupled from high- latitude signals at termination due to tropical ocean\u2013 atmosphere influences.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0031018224004565\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2060<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similar weakening or shifts affected the Indian summer monsoon and African monsoon systems, while Southern Hemisphere monsoons (e.g., northern Australia) often intensified in anti- phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Broader Ecological and Human Impacts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vegetation changes reduced net productivity in some regions and altered resource availability affected Paleolithic populations in Europe and elsewhere (e.g., contractions of suitable habitats during extreme cold and arid phases). Sea- level rises of 1- 2, and more m accompanied larger events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Relevance Today<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Heinrich events illustrate the sensitivity of the AMOC and global climate to freshwater forcing. Modern Greenland Ice Sheet iceberg calving rates can approach mid- range Heinrich levels, but sustained disruption is considered less likely from icebergs alone because the ice sheet is receding from marine-terminating outlets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meltwater runoff and overall AMOC weakening under warming remain concerns, with potential effects on European climate, monsoon rainfall, and carbon- cycle feedback.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.adh8369\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2060<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These events are distinct from but often nested within <strong>Dansgaard- Oeschger (D- O) cycles<\/strong>; not every cold stadial contained a Heinrich event. Proxy and model evidence continues to refine the exact triggers (ice- sheet dynamics, subsurface warming, orbital and insolation influences) and global teleconnections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"564\" data-attachment-id=\"487635\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=487635\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Milankovitch-cycles.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&amp;ssl=1&amp;wsr\" data-orig-size=\"1168,784\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;451beca5-cc2d-4867-ab69-687b0e2c0033&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Signature: 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&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0 Milankovitch cycles\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Signature: ZktD+CnWqXHyL4dWDm\/n5isAOdk9FWill8ST+pY9gN1z+T4a2qprUf62rZXl9BAraQe5MEDYEfAWHFScTEMvMcgrAb0mo5Kf7TuaPALRehZsZFf8ZdABiaa5cnPftrs0PlZ++0pOxF8nKwfmkEDkNK\/RvtjnSNXz3ItxQI1LYMIRk7LeT3j4XEkRyaaZroAULY3K0tnhj7NUxGvP9GxJJLUnyh8FbDDGNF\/xDA00V+L\/5Md9cXiqOtZW1LNJIM2j7u2eeR2hoLF21UlU\/HU5Ewkt0rIbXQpLInkSUSvNNoUPtb\/UEbILnm5yfi2A5gQt717Q+roPsSI86FeXJWuVkn2hZt275U1iOFAVHxSTHn40rLKfBKarCyKJyKCfWDCbv2YhqC\/\/xKKVESZI1SwzcpyVlsc9ESu6705IsKwNBypeIbrBBIRJmdFcbAXClX\/g09uMu0MiW2VuDUprX6PDyA5FHHHGixRxZiLuv7KW7S0pmzj3NZ6i8usqEv6e+7M0xbka02d6x8ubgdW9z4HJXI6FWCRLvM6+IzgoWv\/d17SPDHgV7XPjPKy\/2Gl1kmvHLNucU+ATtbYLpUA7qkYuRKL\/sTWlMgr4mWc4wZRFHuZJduMNR+9ExHTUl2ducF3LKzO+lxhPsAgP9lC5MIOX5oAbtcHGGXUTtiIO7aOTXFQU9DD6HXFKxTFEFyNYRRsNP7iagemuXpDJbYJCkH1hyy2A8NbFIVJxRLrmNEwWU9QqPgEimSXw0jeh4y4tfUo33Ma7Y7Kwm\/wi+ciCVXKcDb\/3rybfX2+M5WGUbAl4kMQ9T7c2VzFRKsWUc7zGoDU7kJ8tSNZlhI7ZopX8JvwSGsBGVrllkEgTEy5g0XHcZydOS574UMLaTOzSBuPEhjvlhI9MM8hZH\/Oy4UYjwLd3BqmlZ17qnRCyDK70yRAeAWF6VU18n\/OhHALQC0M7CqkLyG\/j0SJgEhsdq9VCe4zczM+w4n6kdOXlN3rWdZnwJaw=&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Milankovitch-cycles.jpg?fit=840%2C564&amp;ssl=1&amp;wsr\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Milankovitch-cycles.jpg?resize=840%2C564&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Infographic explaining the three Milankovitch cycles: eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession, with their periods and effects on Earth\u2019s climate.\" class=\"wp-image-487635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Milankovitch-cycles.jpg?resize=1024%2C687&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Milankovitch-cycles.jpg?resize=300%2C201&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Milankovitch-cycles.jpg?resize=768%2C516&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Milankovitch-cycles.jpg?resize=640%2C430&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Milankovitch-cycles.jpg?resize=521%2C350&amp;ssl=1 521w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Milankovitch-cycles.jpg?w=1168&amp;ssl=1 1168w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>Milankovitch cycles- AI generated by Grok<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Extreme cold\u2013 dry events in East Asia during glacials reflect insolation thresholds<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study presents high-resolution (~900-year) quantitative reconstructions of land temperature and monsoon precipitation from the Chinese Loess Plateau (Mangshan section) spanning the past ~250,000 years. These are based on branched <strong>glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (brGDGT)<\/strong> molecular fossil proxies, which allow separate reconstruction of growing- season temperature (via MBT\u2032\u2085\u2098\u2091) and mean annual precipitation (via degree of cyclization, DC), plus complementary GDGT-based aridity indicators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Main findings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Temperature and precipitation largely track precession- driven (~20- kyr) changes in boreal summer insolation on orbital timescales.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Superimposed on this are repeated <strong>extreme cold\u2013 dry events<\/strong> during <strong>glacial inceptions<\/strong> (and additional pronounced droughts during glacial terminations).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These <strong>extreme cold\u2013 dry events<\/strong> cold- dry extremes are not clearly expressed in widely used terrestrial proxies such as speleothem<strong> \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O records<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Transient climate simulations (LOVECLIM) reproduce the timing of the extreme cooling events and support<strong> threshold- like responses<\/strong> to declining Northern Hemisphere summer insolation (critical range previously identified around 352\u2013 358 W m\u207b\u00b2).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Such threshold behaviour may be an important mode of continental climate response to orbital forcing, offering a long- term perspective on how regional extremes can emerge when background conditions approach critical thresholds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Core methods and results summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Site:<\/strong> High- sedimentation- rate loess\u2013 paleosol sequence at <strong>Mangshan<\/strong> on the <strong>southeastern Chinese Loess Plateau<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Growing- season temperatures ranged ~12- 26 \u00b0C; MAP ranged ~430- 1015 mm.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Both temperature and precipitation show strong precession pacing, consistent with direct insolation control of the East Asian summer monsoon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Five major coinciding extreme <strong>cold- and- drought events (CDEs)<\/strong> are identified during glacial inception, substages when insolation dropped below the threshold; additional drought- only events occur during terminations (linked to <strong>Weak Monsoon Intervals<\/strong>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Model experiments with orbital forcing alone (and with greenhouse- gas forcing) confirm that the extreme coolings occur when insolation crosses the identified threshold, with low CO\u2082 amplifying the response during glacials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The paper directly supports the point we noted earlier:<\/em> over the past 250,000 years the monsoon system tracks orbital insolation changes, but with clear nonlinear, threshold- driven abrupt cold\u2013 dry departures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Title:<\/strong> Extreme cold\u2013 dry events in East Asia during glacials reflect insolation thresholds<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Journal:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/journals\/communications-earth-environment\/\">Communications Earth &amp; Environment<\/a>, volume 7, Article number: 864, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>DOI:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43247-026-04060-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10.1038\/s43247-026-04060-3<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Published:<\/strong> 10 November 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Provided:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/partners\/utrecht-university\/\">Utrecht University<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Authors:<\/strong> Hao Lu, Jingjing Guo, Qiuzhen Yin, Louise Fuchs, Zhipeng Wu, Youbin Sun, Martin Ziegler &amp; Francien Peterse (led by Utrecht University with Chinese and Belgian collaborators)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Open access:<\/strong> Yes (PDF available on the page).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abstract<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether extreme climate events reflect intrinsic threshold behaviour of the climate system remains uncertain, in part because most terrestrial archives integrate multiple climatic signals and lack simultaneous constraints on temperature and hydroclimate. Here we present high-resolution (\u2009~\u2009900 years) quantitative reconstructions of land temperature and monsoon precipitation from the Chinese Loess Plateau spanning the past ~250,000 years, based on molecular fossil proxies. Using branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (brGDGT) proxies for temperature and precipitation, together with complementary GDGT-based aridity indicators, our records reveal repeated extreme cold\u2013dry events during glacial inceptions, in addition to pronounced droughts during glacial terminations. Although previous studies have provided key insights into past monsoon variability, these cold\u2013dry extremes are not clearly expressed in widely used terrestrial proxies such as speleothem \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O records, indicating that key aspects of continental climate variability have remained under-recognized. Transient climate simulations reproduce the timing of the extreme cooling events, providing model-based support for threshold-like climate responses to declining boreal summer insolation. Our findings suggest that such threshold-like behaviour may represent an important mode of continental climate responses to orbital forcing, providing a long-term perspective for assessing how regional climate extremes may emerge when background conditions approach critical thresholds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers from Utrecht University (with partners in China and Belgium) analyzed 250,000- year climate records from the Chinese Loess Plateau and found that the East Asian monsoon generally tracks long- term changes in incoming solar radiation driven by Earth\u2019s orbital variations, but crosses into abrupt, multi- thousand- year periods of extreme cold and drought when radiation drops below a critical threshold- especially under low atmospheric CO\u2082.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":487603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"A 250,000-year climate record reveals insolation thresholds that triggered abrupt cold, drought, and weakened East Asian monsoons during glacial periods.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Ancient Climate Records Reveal East Asia\u2019s Cold-Dry Threshold","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691847478,691847470,691839936,691847477,691847474,691847473,691847476,691847475,691846746,691847469,691847471],"class_list":["post-487602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ancient-glacial-events","tag-cold-and-drought-events-cdes","tag-east-asian-summer-monsoon-easm","tag-glacial-periods-with-low-co","tag-glycerol-dialkyl-glycerol-tetraethers-brgdgts","tag-o-records","tag-northern-hemisphere-summer-insolation","tag-orbital-tens-to-hundreds-of-thousands-of-years-timescales","tag-orbital-milankovitch-cycles","tag-southeastern-chinese-loess-plateau","tag-weak-monsoon-intervals"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-22Qy","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":481902,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=481902","url_meta":{"origin":487602,"position":0},"title":"Ancient Stalagmites Reveal When the Global Monsoon Breaks Its Seesaw","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/24\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A new 450,000- year speleothem (stalagmite) record from the Peruvian Andes shows that the South American Summer Monsoon (SASM) and Asian monsoon were mostly out of phase (a \u201cseesaw\u201d), but occasionally synchronized, both strengthening or both weakening, especially during glacial terminations and warm intervals. This research relates to climate change\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Asian monsoon\"","block_context":{"text":"Asian monsoon","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=asian-monsoon"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0-Ancient-Stalagmites-Reveal-When-the-Global-Monsoon-Breaks-Its-Seesaw.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0-Ancient-Stalagmites-Reveal-When-the-Global-Monsoon-Breaks-Its-Seesaw.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0-Ancient-Stalagmites-Reveal-When-the-Global-Monsoon-Breaks-Its-Seesaw.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0-Ancient-Stalagmites-Reveal-When-the-Global-Monsoon-Breaks-Its-Seesaw.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0-Ancient-Stalagmites-Reveal-When-the-Global-Monsoon-Breaks-Its-Seesaw.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":258236,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=258236","url_meta":{"origin":487602,"position":1},"title":"Study: &#8216;Warm ice age&#8217; changed climate cycles","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/20\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Approximately 700,000 years ago, a \"warm ice age\" permanently changed the climate cycles on Earth.","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0Screen-Shot-2019-11-13-at-10.29.31-AM-1-1024x618-1.png?fit=1024%2C618&ssl=1&wsr&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0Screen-Shot-2019-11-13-at-10.29.31-AM-1-1024x618-1.png?fit=1024%2C618&ssl=1&wsr&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0Screen-Shot-2019-11-13-at-10.29.31-AM-1-1024x618-1.png?fit=1024%2C618&ssl=1&wsr&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0Screen-Shot-2019-11-13-at-10.29.31-AM-1-1024x618-1.png?fit=1024%2C618&ssl=1&wsr&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":415684,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=415684","url_meta":{"origin":487602,"position":2},"title":"\u00a0More Evidence NE China Is Not Cooperating with the Alarmist Global Warming Narrative","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/02\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In a\u00a0new study, scientists have determined that northeastern China\u2019s droughts were far more frequent and intense during the Little Ice Age (LIA) than in the 1950-2021 era of supposedly \u201calarming\u201d global warming. During the LIA, which the study clarifies as spanning from 1568 to 1850, there were 59 extreme dry\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/00Screenshot-2025-12-02-103034.png?fit=1200%2C645&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/00Screenshot-2025-12-02-103034.png?fit=1200%2C645&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/00Screenshot-2025-12-02-103034.png?fit=1200%2C645&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/00Screenshot-2025-12-02-103034.png?fit=1200%2C645&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/00Screenshot-2025-12-02-103034.png?fit=1200%2C645&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":475093,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=475093","url_meta":{"origin":487602,"position":3},"title":"Warming Severs Ancient Monsoon Link That Shapes Mediterranean Summers","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/29\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Global warming is projected to substantially weaken the South Asian summer monsoon\u2019s remote influence on Mediterranean summer climate, according to a study by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences\u2019 Institute of Atmospheric Physics. The South Asian summer monsoon (SASM) and Mediterranean summer climate are linked by a well-established large-\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"atmospheric connections\"","block_context":{"text":"atmospheric connections","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=atmospheric-connections"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0-Warming-Severs-Ancient-Monsoon-Link-That-Shapes-Mediterranean-Summers.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0-Warming-Severs-Ancient-Monsoon-Link-That-Shapes-Mediterranean-Summers.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0-Warming-Severs-Ancient-Monsoon-Link-That-Shapes-Mediterranean-Summers.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0-Warming-Severs-Ancient-Monsoon-Link-That-Shapes-Mediterranean-Summers.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0-Warming-Severs-Ancient-Monsoon-Link-That-Shapes-Mediterranean-Summers.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":475751,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=475751","url_meta":{"origin":487602,"position":4},"title":"Ancient Tibetan Ice Cap Holds Climate Secrets Older Than 100,000 Years","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/01\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Researchers have confirmed that ancient ice in the high- altitude Guliya Ice Cap (northwestern Tibet) preserves climate records from the last ice age and beyond, making these the oldest ice cores recovered from the region. The Guliya ice cap (western Kunlun Mountains, northwestern Tibetan Plateau) is a cold- based (polar-\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"1992 and 2015\"","block_context":{"text":"1992 and 2015","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=1992-and-2015"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0-Ancient-Tibetan-Ice-Cap-Holds-Climate-Secrets-Older-Than-100000-Years.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0-Ancient-Tibetan-Ice-Cap-Holds-Climate-Secrets-Older-Than-100000-Years.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0-Ancient-Tibetan-Ice-Cap-Holds-Climate-Secrets-Older-Than-100000-Years.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0-Ancient-Tibetan-Ice-Cap-Holds-Climate-Secrets-Older-Than-100000-Years.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0-Ancient-Tibetan-Ice-Cap-Holds-Climate-Secrets-Older-Than-100000-Years.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":473613,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=473613","url_meta":{"origin":487602,"position":5},"title":"China\u2019s Ancient \u201cVenice of the Stone Age\u201d Collapsed Under Extreme Monsoon Floods 4,300 Years Ago","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/24\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Liangzhu culture (Chinese: \u826f\u6e1a\u6587\u5316; c. 3300- 2300 BCE) was a late Neolithic society in the Yangtze River Delta of eastern China (primarily modern Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shanghai provinces). It is widely regarded as one of East Asia\u2019s earliest complexes, state- level societies and a key contributor to the origins\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"El Ni\u00f1o\u2013Southern Oscillation (ENSO)\"","block_context":{"text":"El Ni\u00f1o\u2013Southern Oscillation (ENSO)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=el-nino-southern-oscillation-enso-4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0-Chinas-Ancient-Venice-of-the-Stone-Age-Collapsed-Under-Extreme-Monsoon-Floods-4300-Years-Ago.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0-Chinas-Ancient-Venice-of-the-Stone-Age-Collapsed-Under-Extreme-Monsoon-Floods-4300-Years-Ago.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0-Chinas-Ancient-Venice-of-the-Stone-Age-Collapsed-Under-Extreme-Monsoon-Floods-4300-Years-Ago.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0-Chinas-Ancient-Venice-of-the-Stone-Age-Collapsed-Under-Extreme-Monsoon-Floods-4300-Years-Ago.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0-Chinas-Ancient-Venice-of-the-Stone-Age-Collapsed-Under-Extreme-Monsoon-Floods-4300-Years-Ago.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/0-Ancient-Climate-Records-Reveal-Threshold-That-Triggered-Abrupt-Cold-and-Drought-in-East-Asian-Monsoon.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&wsr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=487602"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":487639,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487602\/revisions\/487639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/487603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=487602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=487602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=487602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}