Study on strontium isotope from speleothem: past and future

In this paper,the investigations on strontium isotope(87Sr/86Sr) from speleothem are reviewed and potential application of speleothem 87Sr/86Sr for global change research is prospected.The index 87Sr/86Sr is a commonly used geochemical proxy for tracing back sediment source.In the past studies,changes in speleothem 87Sr/86Sr is used as an indicator of variations of relative contribution of various Sr sources,and in turn as a reflection of changes in paleoclimate and paleoenvironment.In the future,investigations on speleothem 87Sr/86Sr may play an important role in the following fields: chemical weathering of the surface soil and its variations,atmospheric dust activity in the East Asia and winter monsoon variations,paleo-hydrology of karstic groundwater,and so on.