Fluvial Responses to Late Quaternary Climate Change in a Humid and Semi-Humid Transitional Area: Insights from the Upper Huaihe River, Eastern China

Research into river processes in different climatic and geomorphic areas is vital for a clearer understanding of the non-linear responses rivers to climate change. The Huaihe River (HHR) Basin, located China’s North–South Transition Zone (NSTZ), provides an ideal environment which explore change within humid/semi-humid transitional area. Based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) 14C dating, combined with sedimentary stratigraphic analyses, we reconstructed three sequences upper HHR since Late Quaternary. Our results showed that was characterized by aggrading meandering channels from Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) 0.5 ka, wandering channel 0.2 ka present. Two periods downcutting occurred during 5.8–3.0 0.5–0.2 respectively. incision potentially linked changes Mid–Late Holocene transition Little Ice Age (LIA). However, there have been no marked patterns LGM. This phenomenon reflects influence vegetation fluvial are controlled local hydroclimatic regime.