Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum, China

Here we present an improved astronomical timescale since 5 Ma as recorded in the ODP Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea, using a recently published Asian summer monsoon record (hematite to goethite content ratio, Hm/Gt) and a parallel benthic delta (super 18) O record. Correlation of the benthic delta (super 18) O record to the stack of 57 globally distributed benthic delta (super 18) O records (LR04 stack) and the Hm/Gt curve to the 65 degrees N summer insolation curve is a particularly useful approach to obtain refined timescales. Hence, it constitutes the basis for our effort. Our proposed modifications result in a more accurate and robust chronology than the existing astronomical timescale for the ODP Site 1143. This updated timescale further enables a detailed study of the orbital variability of low-latitude Asian summer monsoon throughout the Plio-Pleistocene. Comparison of the Hm/Gt record with the delta (super 18) O record from the same core reveals that the oscillations of low-latitude Asian summer monsoon over orbital scales differed considerably from the glacial-interglacial climate cycles. The popular view that summer monsoon intensifies during interglacial stages and weakens during glacial stages appears to be too simplistic for low-latitude Asia. In low-latitude Asia, some strong summer monsoon intervals appear to have also occurred during glacial stages in addition to their increased occurrence during interglacial stages. Vice versa, some notably weak summer monsoon intervals have also occurred during interglacial stages next to their anticipated occurrence during glacial stages. The well-known mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) is only identified in the benthic delta (super 18) O record but not in the Hm/Gt record from the same core. This suggests that the MPT may be a feature of high- and middle-latitude climates, possibly determined by high-latitude ice sheet dynamics. For low-latitude monsoonal climate, its orbital-scale variations respond more directly to insolation and are little influenced by high-latitude processes, thus the MPT is likely not recorded. In addition, the Hm/Gt record suggests that low-latitude Asian summer monsoon intensity has a long-term decreasing trend since 2.8 Ma with increased oscillation amplitude. This long-term variability is presumably linked to the Northern Hemisphere glaciation since then. Abstract Copyright (2011) Elsevier, B.V.