Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T06:03:33.113Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Spatial patterns of Holocene glacier advance and retreat in Central Asia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Summer Rupper ,
Gerard Roe  and
Alan Gillespie
Summer Rupper*
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University, Department of Geological Sciences, S389 ESC, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Gerard Roe
Affiliation:
University of Washington, Department of Earth and Space Sciences and Quaternary Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
Alan Gillespie
Affiliation:
University of Washington, Department of Earth and Space Sciences and Quaternary Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
*
⁎Corresponding author. E-mail address:[email protected] (S. Rupper).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Glaciers in the southern Himalayas advanced in the early Holocene despite an increase in incoming summer solar insolation at the top of the atmosphere. These glacier advances are in contrast to the smaller alpine glaciers in the western and northern regions of Central Asia. Two different glacier mass-balance models are used to reconcile this Holocene glacier history with climate by quantifying the change in equilibrium-line altitudes (ELA) for simulated changes in Holocene climate. Both ELA models clearly show that the lowering of ELAs in the southern Himalayas is largely due to a decrease in summer temperatures, and that an increase in monsoonal precipitation accounts for less than 30% of the total ELA changes. The decrease in summer temperatures is a dynamic response to the changes in solar insolation, resulting in both a decrease in incoming shortwave radiation at the surface due to an increase in cloudiness and an increase in evaporative cooling. In the western and northern zones of Central Asia, both ELA models show a rise in ELAs in response to a general increase in summer temperatures. This increase in temperatures in the more northern regions is a direct radiative response to the increase in summer solar insolation.

Keywords

ClimatePaleoclimateGlaciersEnergy balanceMonsoonAsiaHoloceneNumerical model
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 72 , Issue 3 , November 2009 , pp. 337 - 346
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abramowski, U., Bergau, A., Seebach, D., Zech, R., Glaser, B., Sosin, P., Kubik, P.W., and Zech, W. Pleistocene glaciations of Central Asia: results from Be-10 surface exposure ages of erratic boulders from the Pamir (Tajikistan), and the Alay-Turkestan range (Kyrgyzstan). Quaternary Science Reviews 25, 9–10 (2006). 1080–1096.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, M.R., and Ingram, W.J. Constraints on future changes in climate and the hydrological cycle. Nature 419, (2002). 224–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ambach, W., and Kuhn, M. Accumulation gradients in Greenland and mass balance response to climatic changes. Z Gletscherkd Glazialgeol 21, (1985). 311–317.Google Scholar
Anders, A., Roe, G., Hallet, B., Montgomery, D., Finnegan, N., Putkonen, J., (2006). Spatial patterns of precipitation and topography in the Himalaya. In Willett, S.D., Hoovius, N., Brandon, M.T., and Fisher, D.M., eds., Tectonics, Climate and Landscape Evolution. GSA Special Paper 398, Chapter 3, pp. 39–53.Google Scholar
Anderson, D.M., and Prell, W.L. A 300 kyr record of upwelling off Oman during the late Quaternary — evidence of the Asian southwest monsoon. Paleoceanography 8, 2 (1993). 193–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benn, D.I., and Owen, L.A. The role of the Indian summer monsoon and the mid-latitude westerlies in Himalayon glaciation: review and speculative discussion. Journal of the Geological Society 155, (1998). 353–363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benn, D.I, and Lehmkuhl, F. Mass balance and equilibrium-line altitudes of glaciers in high-mountain environments. Quaternary International 65–6, (2000). 15–29.Google Scholar
Benn, D.I., Owen, L.A., Osmaston, H.A., Seltzer, G.O., Porter, S.C., and Mark, B. Reconstruction of equilibarium-line altitudes for tropical and sub-tropical glaciers. Quaternary International 138, (2005). 8–21.Google Scholar
Barnard, P., Owen, L., and Finkel, R. Style and timing of glacial and paraglacial sedimentation in a monsoon-influenced high Himalayan environment, the upper Bhagirathi valley, Gavhwal Himalaya. Sedimentary Geology 165, (2004). 199–221.Google Scholar
Bonfils, C.J., Lewden, D., and Taylor, K.E. Documentation of the PMIP models. PMCI Report. (1998). Google Scholar
Braconnot, P., Loutre, M.F., Dong, B., Joussaume, S., and Valdes, P. How the simulated change in monsoon at 6 ka BP is related to the simulation of the modern climate: results from the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project. Climate Dynamics 19, 2 (2002). 107–121.Google Scholar
Braithwaite, R.J. Positive degree-day factors for ablation on the Greenland ice-sheet studied by energy-balance modeling. Journal of Glaciology 41, 137 (1995). 153–160.Google Scholar
Bush, A.B.G. Pacific sea surface temperature forcing dominates orbital forcing of the Early Holocene monsoon. Quaternary Research 55, 1 (2001). 25–32.Google Scholar
Bush, A.B.G. A comparison of simulated monsoon circulations and snow accumulation in Asia during the mid-Holocene and at the Last Glacial Maximum. Global and Planetary Change 32, 4 (2002). 331–347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bush, A.B.G. Modelling of late Quaternary climate over Asia: a synthesis. Boreas 33, 2 (2004). 155–163.Google Scholar
Collins, W.D., Valero, F.P.J., Flatau, P.J., Lubin, D., Grassl, H., Pilewskie, P., and Spinhirne, J. The radiative effects of convection in the Tropical Pacific. Journal of Geophysical Research 101, D10 (1996). 14999–15012.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crowley, T.J., and North, G.R. Abrupt climate change and extinction events in earth history. Science 240, 4855 (1991). 996–1002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dong, G.R., Wang, G.Y., Li, X.Z., Chen, H.Z., and Jin, J. Palaeomonsoon vicissitudes in eastern desert region of China since last interglacial period. Science in China Series D-Earth Sciences 41, 2 (1998). 215–224.Google Scholar
Emeis, K.C., Anderson, D.M., Doose, H., Kroon, D., and Schulzbull, D. Sea-surface temperatures and the history of monsoon upwelling in the northwest Arabian Sea during the last 500,000 years. Quaternary Research 43, 3 (1995). 355–361.Google Scholar
Felzer, B., Oglesby, R.H., Shao, H., Webb, T., Hyman, D.E., Prell, W.L., and Kutzbach, J.E. A systematic study of GCM sensitivity to latitudinal changes in solar-radiation. Journal of Climate 8, 4 (1995). 877–887.Google Scholar
Finkel, R.C., Owen, L., Barnard, P., and Caffee, M. Beryllium-10 dating of Mount Everest moraines indicates a strong monsoon influence and glacial synchroneity throughout the Himalaya. Geology 31, 6 (2003). 561–564.Google Scholar
Gillespie, A., and Molnar, P. Asynchronous maximum advances of mountain and continental glaciers. Reviews of Geophysics 33, 3 (1995). 311–364.Google Scholar
Gillespie, A., Rupper, S., and Roe, G. Climatic interpretation from mountain glaciations in Central Asia. Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Program 35, 6 (2003). Google Scholar
Gillespie, A.R., Burke, R.M., Komatsu, G., and Amgalan Bayasgalan, A. Late Pleistocene glaciers in Darhad Basin, northern Mongolia. Quaternary Research 69, 2 (2008). 169–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, N.M.J., and Valdes, P.J. A GCM simulation of the climate 6000 years ago. Journal of Climate 10, 1 (1997). 3–17.Google Scholar
Hoskins, B.J., and Hodges, K.I. New perspectives on the Northern Hemisphere winter storm tracks. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 59, 6 (2002). 1041–1061.Google Scholar
Huybers, K., and Roe, G.H. Spatial patterns of glaciers in response to spatial patterns in regional climate. Journal of Climate 22, 17 (2009). 4606–4620.Google Scholar
Joussaume, S., Taylor, K.E., Braconnot, P., Mitchell, J.F.B., Kutzbach, J.E., Harrison, S.P., Prentice, I.C., Broccoli, A.J., Abe-Ouchi, A., Bartlein, P.J., Bonfils, C., Dong, B., Guiot, J., Herterich, K., Hewitt, C.D., Jolly, D., Kim, J.W., Kislov, A., Kitoh, A., Loutre, M.F., Masson, V., McAvaney, B., McFarlane, N., de Noblet, N., Peltier, W.R., Peterschmitt, J.Y., Pollard, D., Rind, D., Royer, J.F., Schlesinger, M.E., Syktus, J., Thompson, S., Valdes, P., Vettoretti, G., Webb, R.S., and Wyputta, U. Monsoon changes for 6000 years ago: results of 18 simulations from the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). Geophysical Research Letters 26, 7 (1999). 859–862.Google Scholar
Kalnay, E., Kanamitsu, M., Kistler, R., Collins, W., Deaven, D., Gandin, L., Iredell, M., Saha, S., White, G., Woollen, J., Zhu, Y., Chelliah, M., Ebisuzaki, W., Higgins, W., Janowiak, J., Mo, K.C., Ropelewski, C., Wang, J., Leetmaa, A., Reynolds, R., Jenne, R., and Joseph, D. The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 77, 3 (1996). 437–471.Google Scholar
Kaufman, D.S., Porter, S.C., Gillespie, A.R., (2004). Quaternary alpine glaciation in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Sierra Nevada, and Hawaii. in Gillespie, A.R., Porter, S.C., and Atwater, B.F., eds., The Quaternary Period in the United States. Developments in Quaternary Science Vol. 1, Elsevier Press, 77–103.Google Scholar
Kayastha, R.B., Ohata, T., and Ageta, Y. Application of a mass-balance model to a Himalayan glacier. Journal of Glaciology 45, 151 (1999). 559–567.Google Scholar
Kuhle, M. Reconstruction of the 2.3 million km2 late Pleistocene ice sheet on the Tibetan Plateau and its impact on the global climate. Quaternary International 47, 8 (1998). 173–182.Google Scholar
Kutzbach, J.E., and Gallimore, R.G. Sensitivity of a coupled atmosphere/mixed layer ocean model to changes in orbital forcing at 9000 years B.P.. Journal of Geophyscial Research 93, D1 (1988). 803–821.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Legates, D.R., and Willmott, C.J. Mean seasonal and spatial variability in gauge-corrected, global precipitation. International Journal of Climatology 10, 2 (1990). 111–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Legates, D.R., and Willmott, C.J. Mean seasonal and spatial variability in global surface air-temperature. Theoretical and Applied Climatology 41, 1–2 (1990). 11–21.Google Scholar
Lowell, T.V., Heusser, C.J., Andersen, B.G., Moreno, P.I., Hauser, A., Heusser, L.E., Schluchter, C., Marchant, D.R., and Denton, G.H. Interhemispheric correlation of late Pleistocene glacial events. Science 269, 5230 (1995). 1541–1549.Google Scholar
Mantua, N.J., Hare, S.R., Zhang, J., Wallace, J.M., and Francis, R.C. A Pacific decadal climate oscillation with impacts on salmon. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 78, (1997). 1069–1079.Google Scholar
Molg, T., and Hardy, D.R. Ablation and associated energy balance of a horizontal glacier surface on Kilimanjaro. Journal of Geophysical Research 109, D16 (2004). Art. No. D16104 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Owen, L.A., and Benn, D.I. Equilibrium-line altitudes of the Last Glacial Maximum for the Himalaya and Tibet: an assessment and evaluation of results. Quaternary International 138, (2005). 55–78.Google Scholar
Owen, L.A., Kamp, U., Spencer, J.Q., and Haserodt, K. Timing and style of Late Quaternary glaciation in the eastern Hindu Kush, Chitral, northern Pakistan: a review and revision of the glacial chronology based on new optically stimulated luminescence dating. Quaternary International 97, 8 (2002). 41–55.Google Scholar
Owen, L.A., Finkel, R.C., Haizhou, M., Spencer, J.Q., Derbyshire, E., Barnard, P.L., and Caffee, M.W. Timing and style of Late Quaternary glaciation in northeastern Tibet. Geological Society of America Bulletin 115, 11 (2003). 1356–1364.Google Scholar
Owen, L.A., Finkel, R.C., Barnard, P.L., Haizhou, M., Asahi, K., Caffee, M.W., and Derbyshire, E. Climatic and topographic controls on the style and timing of Late Quaternary glaciation throughout Tibet and the Himalaya defined by 10Be cosmogenic radionuclide surface exposure dating. Quaternary Science Reviews 24, 12–13 (2005). 1391–1411.Google Scholar
Owen, L.A., Caffee, M., Finkel, R., and Seong, Y. Quaternary glaciation of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen. Journal of Quaternary Science 23, 6–7 (2008). 513–531.Google Scholar
Paterson, Physics of Glaciers. (1999). Pergamon/Elsevier Science Inc, Google Scholar
Phillips, W.M., Sloan, V.F., Shroder, J.F., Sharma, P., Clarke, M.L., and Rendell, H.M. Asynchronous glaciation at Nanga Parbat, northwestern Himalaya Mountains. Pakistan. Geology 28, 5 (2000). 431–434.Google Scholar
Porter, S.C. Equilibrium-line altitudes of late Quaternary glaciers in southern Alps, New Zealand. Quaternary Research 5, 1 (1975). 27–47.Google Scholar
Porter, S.C. Present and past glaciation threshold in the Cascade Range, Washington, U. S. A.: topographic and climatic controls, and paleoclimatic implications. Journal of Glaciology 18, (1977). 101–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porter, S.C., and Orombelli, G. Glacier contraction during the middle Holocene in the western Italian Alps — evidence and implications. Geology 13, 4 (1985). 296–298.Google Scholar
Ramanathan, Y. Cumulus parameterization in a case-study of a monsoon depression. Monthly Weather Review 108, 3 (1987). 313–321.Google Scholar
Richards, B., Benn, D.I., Owen, L.A., Rhodes, E.J., and Spencer, J.Q. Timing of late Quaternary glaciations south of Mount Everest in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal. Geological Society of America Bulletin 112, (2000). 1621–1632.Google Scholar
Rupper, S.B., and Roe, G.H. Glacier changes and regional climate: a mass and energy balance approach. Journal of Climate 21, 20 (2008). 5384–5401.Google Scholar
Schafer, J.M., Tschudi, S., Zhao, Z.Z., Wu, X.H., Ivy-Ochs, S., Wieler, R., Baur, H., Kubik, P.W., and Schluchter, C. The limited influence of glaciations in Tibet on global climate over the past 170 000 yr. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 194, 3–4 (2002). 287–297.Google Scholar
Seong, Y.B., Owen, L.A., Bishop, M.P, Bush, A., Clendon, P., Copland, L., Finkel, R., Kamp, U., and Shroder, J.F. Quaternary glacial history of the central Karakoram. Quaternary Science Reviews 26, 25–28 (2007). 3384–3405.Google Scholar
Sharma, M.C., and Owen, L.A. Quaternary glacial history of NW Garhwal, Central Himalayas. Quaternary Science Reviews 15, (1996). 335–365.Google Scholar
Shi, Y. Characteristics of late Quaternary monsoonal glaciation on the Tibetan Plateau and in East Asia. Quaternary International 97, 8 (2002). 79–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trenberth, K. The definition of El Niño. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 78, (1997). 2771–2777.Google Scholar
Tschudi, S., Schäfer, J.M., Zhao, Z., Wu, X., Ivy-Ochs, S., Kubik, P.W., and Schlüchter, C. Glacial advances in Tibet during the Younger Dryas? Evidence from cosmogenic 10Be, 26Al, and 21Ne. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 22, (2003). 301–306.Google Scholar
Vettoretti, G., Peltier, W.R., and McFarlane, N.A. Simulations of mid-Holocene climate using an atmospheric general circulation model. Journal of Climate 11, 10 (1998). 2607–2627.Google Scholar
Wallace, J.M., and Gutzler, D.S. Teleconnections in the geopotential height field during the Northern Hemisphere Winter. Monthly Weather Review 109, (1981). 784–812.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallace, J., and Hobbs, W. Atmospheric Science: an Introductory Survey. (2005). Academic Press, Google Scholar
Wang, Y., Zhu, Studies of chronology of millennial time scale climate oscillations in the Holocene. Advances in Climate Change Research 1, 4 (2005). 157–160.Google Scholar
Wang, Y., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., He, Y., Kong, X., An, Z., Wu, J., Kelly, M.J., Dykoski, C.A., and Li, X. The Holocene Asian monsoon: links to solar changes and north Atlantic climate. Science 308, 5273 (2005). 854–857.Google Scholar
Wei, Z., Zhijiu, C., and Yanghua, L. Review of the timing and extent of glaciers during the last glacial cycle in the bordering mountains of Tibet and in East Asia. Quaternary International 154, 155 (2006). 32–43.Google Scholar
Wilcox, E.M., and Ramanathan, V. Scale dependence of the thermodynamic forcing of tropical monsoon clouds: results from TRMM observations. Journal of Climate 14, 7 (2001). 1511–1524.Google Scholar
Xiang, R., Sun, Y.B., Li, T.G., Oppo, D.W., Chen, M.H., and Zheng, F. Paleoenvironmental change in the middle Okinawa Trough since the last deglaciation: evidence from the sedimentation rate and planktonic foraminiferal record. Palaeogreography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 243, 3–4 (2007). 378–393.Google Scholar
Yang, B., Bräuning, A., Dong, Z., Zhang, Z., and Keqing, J. Late Holocene monsoonal temperate glacier fluctuations on the Tibetan Plateau. Global and Planetary Change 60, 1–2 (2008). 126–140.Google Scholar
Zhang, Y., Shiyin, L., and Yongjian, D. Observed degree-day factors and their spatial variation on glaciers in western China. Annals of Glaciology 43, (2006). 301–306.Google Scholar
Zhou, S.Z., Xu, L.B., Colgan, P.M., Michelson, D.M., Wang, X.L., Wang, J., and Zhong, W. Cosmogenic Be-10 dating of Guxiang and Baiyu glaciations. Chinese Science Bulletin 52, 10 (2007). 1387–1393.Google Scholar