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Precipitation δ 18 O Recorded by the α‐Cellulose δ 18 O of Plant Residues in Surface Soils: Evidence From a Broad Environmental Gradient in Inland China
Author(s) -
Shi Fuxi,
Rao Zhiguo,
Li Yunxia,
Cao Jiantao,
Shi Xiaoyi,
Li Chaozhu,
Sun Weizhen
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
global biogeochemical cycles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.512
H-Index - 187
eISSN - 1944-9224
pISSN - 0886-6236
DOI - 10.1029/2019gb006418
Subject(s) - biogeochemical cycle , arid , soil water , altitude (triangle) , environmental science , latitude , vegetation (pathology) , physical geography , monsoon , precipitation , plateau (mathematics) , longitude , relative humidity , ecosystem , east asian monsoon , atmospheric sciences , geology , climatology , ecology , environmental chemistry , geography , chemistry , soil science , biology , medicine , mathematical analysis , geometry , mathematics , geodesy , pathology , meteorology
In order to determine the potential of α‐cellulose δ 18 O (δ 18 O cell ) data from multiple terrestrial plant species on an ecosystem level to record the δ 18 O data of precipitation (δ 18 O p ), especially in relatively cold and arid environments, we collected samples of terrestrial plant residues from 104 surface soils covering a large environmental gradient (~29 to 51°N in latitude, ~81 to 124°E in longitude, ~200 to 5,100 m in elevation) in inland China. Despite the diverse vegetation types, wide range of climatic conditions and potentially complex biogeochemical processes operating within the vast study region, the δ 18 O cell data show a similar spatial pattern to that of δ 18 O p . The results demonstrate that the measured values of δ 18 O cell data have the potential to record variations in δ 18 O p . Further analysis indicated that the δ 18 O cell data from the Tibetan Plateau were primarily controlled by the moisture sources. Interestingly, there are significant negative correlations between δ 18 O cell /δ 18 O p and altitude on the Tibetan Plateau, implying the potential of δ 18 O cell for paleoaltimetry in this region. The δ 18 O cell data from the northern region of China (including the East Asian monsoon‐margin and arid central Asia) were mainly controlled by temperature, although the influence of relative humidity in the region is not negligible. Our results provide a fundamental reference for related δ 18 O cell studies aimed to improve our understanding of environmental, hydrological, and climatic changes in inland China and elsewhere.