δ 18O record and temperature change over the past 100 years in ice cores on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

The 213 m ice core from the Puruogangri Ice Field on the Tibetan Plateau facilitates the study of the regional temperature changes with its δ 18O record of the past 100 years. Here we combine information from this core with that from the Dasuopu ice core (from the southern Tibetan Plateau), the Guliya ice core (from the northwestern Plateau) and the Dunde ice core (from the north-eastern Plateau) to learn about the regional differences in temperature change across the Tibetan Plateau. The δ 18O changes vary with region on the Plateau, the variations being especially large between South and North and between East and West. Moreover, these four ice cores present increasing δ 18O trends, indicating warming on the Tibetan Plateau over the past 100 years. A comparative study of Northern Hemisphere (NH) temperature changes, the δ 18O-reflected temperature changes on the Plateau, and available meteorological records show consistent trends in overall warming during the past 100 years.