Lake sediment record of eolian activity on the eastern Tibetan Plateau since 15 cal ka BP

we present a synthesis of eolian activity on the eastern TP covering the past 15,000 years. Our results indicate a correlation between vegetation conditions and eolian activity during different periods. Increased eolian activity occurred during the transition from the last deglaciation to the early Holocene, due to suboptimal vegetation conditions. Between 7.5 and 3.5 cal ka BP (ka), higher moisture levels resulted in the dominance of arboreal vegetation, which suppressed eolian activity. However, after 3.5 ka a sustained intensification of eolian activity occurred in the Gahai area, which was linked to decreasing vegetation cover, reduced regional humidity, and growing human impacts, especially in the eastern plateau, in southern Gansu. In recent decades, human interventions have suppressed eolian activity. Additionally, a ~1435-year cyclicity in our record, and other regional records, suggests a link between increased eolian activity on the eastern TP and ice-rafting events in the North Atlantic. Generally, Holocene eolian dynamics were primarily influenced by the regional vegetation and climatic conditions which were controlled by the atmospheric circulation. However, in the late Holocene, climatic shifts and human influences had a synergistic effect which intensified the eolian activity, highlighting the important role of humans on recent dust dynamics in this region.