Jiang et al.(2020) have reconstructed lake level changes of Lake Dali in Inner Mongolia, China, based on optically stimulated luminescence dating. They show that the lake level was relatively low between 12 and 7 ka and high at~ 6 ka and dropped thereafter. The highstand at 6 ka and the proceeding lake level drop are similar to a previous lake level reconstruction from Lake Dali (Goldsmith et al., 2017; Fig. 1). However, between 10 and 7ka, Jiang et al.'s reconstruction differs substantially from the previous reconstruction. Our comment is focused on one possible reason for this discrepancy.

Jiang et al.'s conclusion regarding the lake's stand between 10 and 6.8 ka is based on three data points: R2 (6.8 ka), R4 (9.8 ka) and R6 (7.7 ka) that are located within a clear recessional sequence composed of at least six distinct beach ridges (Fig. 2). Based on the satellite images and the schematic section (Fig. 2), it is clear that this is a continuous beach ridge sequence that formed during the regression of the lake after 6 ka. Of the six beach ridges in this sequence, three (R1, R3 and R5–blue symbols in Figs. 1 and 2) have ages that are consistent with the age of the lake level drop (in both Jiang et al. and Goldsmith et al., 2017), and three have ages that are out of stratigraphic order (R2, R4 and R6–red symbols in Figs. 1 and 2). Jiang et al.'s conclusion that the Early Holocene was relatively dry is based on the three points that are out of stratigraphic order, and thus it is unclear why these points were used in the reconstruction. Once the points that are not in stratigraphic order are removed, Jiang et al.'s reconstruction is consistent with that of Goldsmith