Why speleothem δ¹⁸O records miss 100,000-year climate cycles in Southern China
Monday, July 14, 2025 - 10:58
in Earth & Climate
A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences solves a long-standing climate mystery: Why don't the records of oxygen isotopes (δ18O) in cave formations like stalagmites—known as speleothems—from central southern China reflect the well-known 100,000-year cycles of ice ages seen in other global climate records? These speleothem δ18O records have long been considered a key indicator of the strength of the Asian summer monsoon, so their failure to show these major climate shifts has puzzled scientists for decades.