Holocene Solar Activity Imprint on Centennial- to Multidecadal-Scale Hydroclimatic Oscillations in Arid Central Asia

Numerous studies have been conducted on the Holocene climatic evolution of arid central Asia (ACA) using various geological proxies. However, the quality of the age control and the temporal resolution of the proxy records used make it difficult to characterize hydroclimatic changes on centennial to multidecadal timescales. Here we present a stalagmite δ¹⁸O record from Baluk cave in Xinjiang, NW China, in ACA, which has an average 22.8-year resolution and provides a record of inferred hydroclimatic changes from 8.4 to 2.7 ka. Abrupt hydroclimatic shifts are evident during the following intervals: 2.75–2.90, 3.25–3.35, 3.75–3.85, 4.45–4.55, 4.75–4.90, 5.05–5.15, 5.2–5.3, 5.4–5.5, 5.9–6.0, 6.2–6.3, 6.4–6.5, 6.8–6.9, 7.1–7.6, 7.85–7.95, and 8.05–8.25 ka. Notably, an overall in-phase relationship is observed between the hydroclimatic variations and change in solar activity, and the results of spectral analysis suggest the presence of the Eddy (~1,080 years), de Vries (~205 years), and Gleissberg (~88–102 years) cycles. This indicates a linkage between solar activity and hydroclimatic changes in ACA on centennial to multidecadal scales during the Holocene. We suggest that the influence of solar activity on hydroclimatic changes in ACA occurs via its effects on North Atlantic sea surface temperature, North Atlantic Oscillation, northern high-latitude regional temperatures, and via direct heating. The relationship suggests that solar activity may play an important role in determining future hydroclimatic changes in ACA.