CLIMATIC CHANGE DURING THE LONGSHAN PERIOD(5.0~4.0 kaBP)

The Longshan period(5.0~4.0 kaBP)is a key period for generation and development of the Chinese civilization. However, the climatic background of this period remains in dilemma. In this paper, based on historical documents, archaeological evidence, and high-resolution natural records reported during the past few decades, the climatic change during Longshan epoch was reconstructed following synthesis method recommended by IGBP. Our results indicate that the Longshang Epoch was not a uniform warm period as traditional researches suggested. It could be further divided into the early-middle Longshan Warm Period(5.0~4.5 kaBP), middle-late Longshan Cold Period(4.5~4.0 kaBP),and a pronounced cooling event by the end of the Longshan period(4.2~4.0 kaBP). The reconstructed climatic changes of the Longshan period are well correlated with the climatic records in the other parts of the world, indicating that it is at least a semi-sphere phenomenon.