Lake Qinghai sediment geochemistry linked to hydroclimate variability since the last glacial

Geochemistry of basin sediments from semi-arid regions is valuable to understand past hydroclimatic changes. Here, we investigate the links of sedimentary geochemistry (Rb, Sr, Ca/Zr, TOC, and %CaCO₃), carbonate mineralogy and ostracod shell δ¹⁸O of Lake Qinghai, a basin proximal to major dust production centers at mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, to changes in depositional conditions and hydroclimate during the past 32ka. Surface lacustrine sediments are characterized by low-Rb, high-Sr, low-Rb/Sr, high-%CaCO₃ and high-Ca/Zr values, in contrast to the chemical compositions of eolian loess (high-Rb, low-Sr, high-Rb/Sr, low-%CaCO₃, and low-Ca/Zr). A direct comparison of soluble Ca and Sr in two short cores with instrumental water discharge data suggests that lacustrine precipitates in Lake Qinghai are dominated by authigenic aragonite formed under Ca²⁺-limited water conditions, and that the accumulation rate of aragonite dominantly depends on solute fluxes into the lake during the rainy seasons (late May to September). Our high-resolution down-core records show that sediments during the last glacial (~32-19.8ka) had high-Rb, low-Sr, low-%CaCO₃, and low-Ca/Zr, indicating eolian dust (loess) accumulation in a desiccated basin under dry glacial conditions, further supported by grain size and pollen results. This type of sedimentation was maintained during the last deglacial (~19.8-11.5ka), but interrupted by episodic lacustrine precipitates with high-Sr, high-%CaCO₃, high-Ca/Zr, and low-Rb. At ~11.5ka, sedimentary Rb/Sr, Ca/Zr, %CaCO₃ and TOC show dramatic and permanent changes, implying an abrupt shift in the atmospheric circulation at the onset of the Holocene in the Lake Qinghai region. Lacustrine precipitates have persisted throughout the Holocene with a maximum during the early to mid-Holocene (~10.5-8.0ka). Since ~8.0ka, the gradual and significant decreases in aragonite and Sr accumulations in tandem with increasing dust deposit and more positive ostracod δ¹⁸O may be linked to a weakening of Asian summer monsoons during the mid-to-late Holocene. Overall, our records appear to show a high sensitivity of sediment development and geochemistry in Lake Qinghai to the regional hydroclimate changes since the last glacial.