Central Mongolian lake sediments reveal new insights on climate change and equestrian empires in the Eastern Steppes

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Julian Struck - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Autor:in)
  • Marcel Bliedtner - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Autor:in)
  • Paul Strobel - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Autor:in)
  • William Taylor - , University of Colorado Boulder (Autor:in)
  • Sophie Biskop - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Autor:in)
  • Birgit Plessen - , Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - German Research Centre for Geosciences (Autor:in)
  • Björn Klaes - , Trier University (Autor:in)
  • Lucas Bittner - , Professur für Physische Geographie mit Schwerpunkt Paläoumweltforschung (Heisenberg), Professur für Modellbasierte Landschaftsökologie, Institut für Geographie, Institute of Geography/ Physical Geography with Focus on Paleoenvironmental Research, Technische Universität Dresden, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Autor:in)
  • Bayarsaikhan Jamsranjav - , Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (Autor:in)
  • Gary Salazar - , University of Bern (Autor:in)
  • Sönke Szidat - , University of Bern (Autor:in)
  • Alexander Brenning - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Autor:in)
  • Enkhtuya Bazarradnaa - , Mongolian University of Life Sciences (Autor:in)
  • Bruno Glaser - , Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Autor:in)
  • Michael Zech - , Professur für Physische Geographie mit Schwerpunkt Paläoumweltforschung (Heisenberg), Institute of Geography/ Physical Geography with Focus on Paleoenvironmental Research, Technische Universität Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Roland Zech - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Autor:in)

Abstract

The repeated expansion of East Asian steppe cultures was a key driver of Eurasian history, forging new social, economic, and biological links across the continent. Climate has been suggested as important driver of these poorly understood cultural expansions, but paleoclimate records from the Mongolian Plateau often suffer from poor age control or ambiguous proxy interpretation. Here, we use a combination of geochemical analyses and comprehensive radiocarbon dating to establish the first robust and detailed record of paleohydrological conditions for Lake Telmen, Mongolia, covering the past ~ 4000 years. Our record shows that humid conditions coincided with solar minima, and hydrological modeling confirms the high sensitivity of the lake to paleoclimate changes. Careful comparisons with archaeological and historical records suggest that in the vast semi-arid grasslands of eastern Eurasia, solar minima led to reduced temperatures, less evaporation, and high biomass production, expanding the power base for pastoral economies and horse cavalry. Our findings suggest a crucial link between temperature dynamics in the Eastern Steppe and key social developments, such as the emergence of pastoral empires, and fuel concerns that global warming enhances water scarcity in the semi-arid regions of interior Eurasia.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer2829
FachzeitschriftScientific reports
Jahrgang12
Ausgabenummer1
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Dez. 2022
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

PubMed 35181711

Schlagworte

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Bibliotheksschlagworte