Natural ecosystem response and recovery after the 8.2 ka cold event: Evidence from slope sediments on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

• Pollen and grains in the NE Tibetan Plateau recorded the 8.2 ka cold event.
• Most serious natural ecological degradation occurred at ca. 8.3–8.0 ka.
• Many steppes suffered immediate and obvious reduction at 8.2 ka.
• Most higher-order plants took ∼1.5 ka to recover to the normal level.

On the Tibetan Plateau, mountain slope sediments provide a sensitive record of the 8.2 ka cold event and suggest possible strategies for restoration of grasslands degraded by human activities. Based on a grain-size study of slope sediments of the KE section on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, climate changes at 8.3–8.0 ka evidenced by a high content of coarse grains are connected with the 8.2 ka cold event. The compiled records of pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs show that, during this event, most plant species suffered serious setbacks characterized by an immediate and obvious reduction of pollen and spore production, and it took ∼1.5 ka (from 8.0 to 6.5 ka) to recover to normal levels, occurring at different rates for different taxa.