Coral Paleoclimate Perspectives Support the Role of Low‐Latitude Forcing on the 4.2 ka BP Event

Abstract

Abstract The 4.2 ka BP Event is an abrupt climate change that might have contributed to the collapse of ancient civilizations and marks the transition between the mid‐ and late‐Holocene. Despite considerable research on this event, our understanding remains primarily based on terrestrial paleoclimate reconstructions, leaving a significant gap in understanding the role of the ocean in this event. Here, we present paired sea surface temperature (SST) and seawater δ18O reconstructions based on four fossil corals from the South China Sea. Our results demonstrate that the climate during the event was cooler, and there were meridional dry‐wet patterns in East Asia, indicating a weakened summer monsoon. Furthermore, our examination of additional coral records from the Pacific and Indian Oceans suggests that low‐latitude forcing (i.e., SST anomalies in the tropical Pacific) plays a crucial role in driving hydrology shifts in East Asia over the 4.2 ka BP interval.