Bi-decadal scale pollen record of climate change from the Daotang Pond, Qinghai, China (36°57'35.4 N, 100°74'48.4 E; 3205 m a.s.l.). The pollen record situated 2 km southeast of Lake Qinghai in the north-eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau reveals a pattern of consequent changes in the alpine meadow and steppe vegetation throughout the last 1200 years. Due to its location at the interface of the East Asian Summer Monsoon and the North Atlantic Westerlies, the Daotang record reacts sensitively even to minor changes in precipitation. Consequently, impact of both these major atmospheric circulation systems on the regional environments can be analysed and discussed along with the other climatic proxies from the region.