Holocene synchronous evolution of precipitation and soil moisture as evidenced by paleosol deposits in the Ili Basin, Central Asia

Assessing the impact of precipitation and temperature on soil moisture changes during the Holocene is essential to understanding the regional ecological environment change in the arid Central Asia core (CAC). However, this assessment is challenging due to the lack of reliable precipitation records. Here, we present Holocene paired precipitation and soil moisture records from the same paleosol deposits with well-constrained optically stimulated luminescence chronology in the Ili Basin, CAC. We selected dolomite content and the δ13C of organic matter to reflect precipitation change, and redness, frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility, and total organic content to reflect soil moisture changes. The results show that precipitation and soil moisture records exhibit internal consistency, suggesting a synchronous evolution in both during the Holocene. We deduced that precipitation dominated Holocene soil moisture variations in the CAC. The increasing precipitation during the Holocene in the CAC may be attributed to the southward migration of the midlatitude westerlies and increasing penetration of water vapor from the Asian monsoon region. •Holocene precipitation and soil moisture changes were documented by multiple proxies in a paleosol section, Central Asia•Synchronous increase in precipitation and soil moisture during the Holocene in Central Asia.•Increased precipitation during the Holocene could be related to westerlies migration and Asian monsoon penetration.