Articles | Volume 22, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1085-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1085-2026
Research article
 | 
29 May 2026
Research article |  | 29 May 2026

Glacial-interglacial shifts in dominant climate forcing over the last 33 ka in the northern South China Sea

Xueqin Zhao, Shengjie Ye, Jiahui Yao, Michael E. Meadows, Chengyu Weng, Yasong Wang, Mingxing Zhang, and Yunping Xu

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Cited articles

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Short summary
What can the history of the South China Sea teach us about the great seasonal rains in East Asia? By studying a sediment core, we discovered how the region's climate transformed after the last ice age. The pivotal change was not started on land, but in the tropical ocean. Its early warming altered weather patterns, leading to forest expansion and fewer wildfires on land. This finding reveals that a warming tropical ocean can be a powerful trigger for major global climate shifts.
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