Holocene temperature records from the East China sea mud area southwest of the Cheju Island reconstructed by the U37K′ and TEX86 paleothermometers

As an important marginal sea under the influences of both the Changjiang River and the Kuroshio, the East China Sea (ECS) environment is sensitive to both continental and oceanic forcing. Paleoenvironmental records are essential for understanding the long-term environmental evolution of the ECS and adjacent areas. However, paleo-temperature records from the ECS shelf are currently very limited. In this study, the U 37 K′ and TEX 86 paleothermometers were used to reconstruct surface and subsurface temperature changes of the mud area southwest of the Cheju Island (Site F10B) in the ECS during the Holocene. The results indicate that temperature changes of F10B during the early Holocene (11.6–6.2 kyr) are associated with global climate change. During the period of 6.2–2.5 kyr, the similar variability trends of smoothing average of ΔT (the difference between surface and subsurface temperature) of Site F10B and the strength of the Kuroshio suggest that the Kuroshio influence on the site started around 6.2 kyr when the Kuroshio entered the Yellow Sea and continued to 2.5 kyr. During the late Holocene (2.5–1.45 kyr), apparent decreases of U 37 K′ sea surface temperature (SST) and ΔT imply that the direct influence of the Kuroshio was reduced while cold eddy induced by the Kuroshio gradually controlled hydrological conditions of this region around 2.5 kyr.