Cover Image Credits

Summary: The fluvial processes could affect the geochemical records in the sedimentary archives. We analyze the δ²H and δ¹³C of leaf-wax biomarker in a pair of sediment cores that located in the onshore and offshore of the Gaoping river-submarine canyon system in southwestern Taiwan to examine the potential influences. We find that both cores recorded same isotope composition shift through the glacial-interglacial transition, reflecting the regional warming and increased atmosphere pCO₂. These records are consistent with our new iCESM simulation results. On the other hand, the offset in isotope composition between the onshore and offshore cores show that depositional setting and catchment hypsometry strongly bias the geochemical signature of sediments transported through the river system.

Image description: The iCESM simulation results of annual precipitation δ²H, mean annual surface temperature, and mean annual precipitation rate for southeastern Asia region from Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to preindustrial (PI). (See Chang and others, p. 393–423).