Desert distributions during the glacial maximum and climatic optimum: Example of China

Abstract

The last two extreme scenarios of a glacial maximum and a Holocene climatic optimum marked extreme situations in China. The margin of deserts changed mainly in its longitudinal range due to changes in East Asia monsoonal circulations driven by the glacial boundary conditions, and it shifted from 125°E during the last glacial maximum to 105°E during the climatic optimum. The desert distribution at the LGM (Last Glacial Maximum) and the Holocene optimum in China will provide better constraints for sensitivity test experiments with general circulation models to isolate the impact of dust on regional and global climates.