Geochemical changes in Core B10 in the southern Huanghai Sea and implications for variations in paleoenvironment and paleoclimate

Variations in elemental concentrations and ratios in Core B10 taken from the southern Huanghai Sea indicate climatic oscillations, sea level fluctuations and sediment supply changes in Late Quaternary in the region.During the low sea-level period of subinterglaciation of Last Glaciation (Wurm subinterglaciation), the Huanghe River was possibly discharged directly into the southern Huanghai Sea, and the submarine delta related sediments was found in the center of the sea.During the last glacial maximum, terrestrial facies peat appeared in the center of the southern Huanghai Sea.The postglacial transgression arrived at the modem isobaths of 80 m possibly in 13 ka B.P.and then a short standstill of sea level related to the Younger Dryas event appeared.During the middle and late stages of Holocene, sea level continued to rise, and relatively fine sediments with increasing chemical weathering deposited.Decrease of concentrations of CaCO₃, CaO, Sr and MgO, Sr/Ba ratios but increase of concentrations of minor elements such as Cu in the section of 50~0 cm are probably due to the decrease in sediment supply from the Huanghe River in the southern Huanghai Sea because the Huanghe River has transferred north and discharged into the Bohai Sea since 1855 D.C.