Asynchronous Changes in Tempo‐Spatial Patterns of the Younger Dryas Hydroclimate in Northeastern China
Abstract
The Younger Dryas (YD, 12,900–11,700 years before present) event offers a key opportunity to investigate climate system responses to abrupt perturbations, yet regional hydroclimate responses in northeastern China remain debated. Here we reconstruct the spatial fingerprint of YD hydroclimate variability using a comprehensive fossil pollen data set. Our results show regionally coherent cooling but strong spatial heterogeneity in precipitation. At YD onset, northern regions became drier, whereas southern areas experienced slight wetting. By YD termination, precipitation increased significantly in most regions, while changes in the interior was limited. Comparison with climate model simulations indicated that these patterns were likely associated with a YD‐related weakening and subsequent recovery of moisture transport, superimposed on a persistent poleward and inland expansion of atmospheric circulation. Previously reported spatially inconsistent proxy signals can be reconciled by the high tolerance of boreal forests to low‐precipitation conditions.