A review of paleoclimate reconstruction based on soil physical and chemical properties

MA Fangwen; XU Xingqian; ZHAO Xi; WANG Haijun; WANG Yonghao; HUANG Shichuan; JIANG Xu

doi:10.13522/j.cnki.ggps.2025044

Abstract：Soils preserve critical geochemical and mineralogical information that records past climatic conditions.Consequently,soil physical,chemical,and biological properties have become important proxies for paleoclimate reconstruction.This study reviews recent advances in soil indicators that reflect paleoclimatic conditions and analyses the current status and development trends of soil-based paleoclimate inversion models.Based on soil physical and chemical characteristics,we systematically summarize key indicators used to infer paleoclimatic variables such as temperature and precipitation.Existing soil-based paleoclimate inversion models are classified and compared in terms of their principles,advantages,limitations,and application prospects.Because of variations in soil types and their regional distributions,quantitative reconstructions of paleotemperature,paleoprecipitation,weathering intensity,and depositional environments have largely relied on empirical relationships.Significant differences remain between research conducted in China and that abroad in terms of indicator selection and modeling approaches.Nonetheless,the overall consistency of reconstructed paleoclimate patterns among different research groups worldwide demonstrates the reliability of soil-based inversion methods.Limited research has focused on paleoclimate inversion of unique terrestrial sedimentary soil types in specific regions.Owing to the scarcity of long-term climate records and observational data,most existing inversions remain qualitative.Integrating multi-disciplinary approaches and numerical meteorological models is essential to improve the precision and robustness of soil-based paleoclimate reconstructions and enhance both forward and inverse climate simulations.