Human activity induced asynchronous dune mobilization in the deserts of NE China during the late Holocene

Studies of dune mobilization during the last 3 kyr in the deserts of NE China indicate that the area of desert expanded, and associated dust storms increased in the affected regions downwind. However, uncertainty about the timing and origin of episodes of late Holocene dune mobilization has resulted in the failure to provide information about dust-related processes that can be used in atmospheric dust models. Here, we present a detailed regional compilation of dune mobilization and human activity in the deserts of NE China and the adjacent regions spanning the last 3 kyr. The results show that human activity and dune mobilization intensified synchronously at ∼2.5 ka in the Mu Us and Hobq deserts, at ∼1.5 ka in the deserts of NE China, and at ∼0.5 ka in the Horqin and Hulun Buir deserts. A comprehensive analysis indicates that a northward trend of intensified human activity, with the main contribution from cultivation and a secondary contribution from grazing, was responsible for the asynchronous pattern of dune mobilization in these deserts during the late Holocene.