14 DAY TRIAL // An unusual discovery could provide historians and environmentalists with new ways of looking at China's history and at the way its monsoon cycles influenced the prosperity or the downfall of dynasties, respectively. In an underground cave, explorers discovered a stalagmite that started forming some 1,810 years ago, and also recorded information about the weather and the frequencies of monsoon events during the past almost two millennia.
Experts dated the rocks that formed the structure and studied amount traces of uranium and thorium inside, which gave them an idea about the changes the climate underwent over the years.
"It was unexpected that a record of surface weather would be preserved in underground cave deposits. These results illustrate the promise of paleoclimate science to look beyond the obvious and see new possibilities," argued National Science Foundation (NSF) Paleoclimatology Program director, David Verardo.
After the monsoon forms over the Indian Ocean, it moves across Southern and Western China and provides water for rice crops. If the atmospheric mass is strong, it moves further into the middle of the country and brings prosperity to large areas. However, when the monsoons are weak, they cause famine and social unrest, implicitly.
Historians say that these types of occurrences could explain the fall of some Ancient Chinese dynasties, such as Tang, Yuan and Ming, and the progress of others, including the Northern Song. Poor rice productions would inevitably have meant the collapse of the ruling class, as peasants would revolt against having no food for their families.
University of Minnesota geologist Larry Edwards, a co-author of the paper detailing the find, adds that "The waxing and waning of summer monsoon rains are just one piece of the puzzle of changing climate and culture around the world," referring to various events that were tied with weaker monsoons throughout the globe, including the Small Ice Age, that took place between the 14th and the 15th centuries.
Currently, China is also facing a descending monsoon strength trend that started in the 1960s. Some say that global warming is to be blamed, others point at carbon emissions, while a third group claims that man-made soot is responsible. Whatever is causing this effect, hopefully the current "dynasty" will be able to move past it.