Loess sequences provide excellent records of aerosol concentrations in the atmosphere and the history of terrestrial aridity. The best loess sequences for study are in China, where as much as 10 meters of sediments were deposited in the Holocene. Throughout this interval of time, 14C dating techniques provide accurate chronologies of the sedimentation history; thus the temporal relationship between terrestrial climate change and other components of the climate system (ice volume, marine surface and deep water temperatures) can be accurately determined. This proposal will study the history of climate in China in a region with a sensitive response to the Asian monsoon. It is important because it will help to improve our understanding of the regional impact and chronology of the early Holocene intensification of monsoonal circulation, already documented in northern Indian Ocean sediment cores and nearby, tropical alpine ice cores.
