Climatic fluctuations during the LIA and post-LIA in the Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, India: Evidence from a 400 y old stalagmite record

Abstract

This paper presents the first stable isotope (δ18O and δ13C) data of a ∼400 years (1590–2006 AD) long annual to decadal-resolution speleothem record collected from the Indian Lesser Himalaya. The data show a variation from −2.7 to −5.9‰ in δ18O and −5.3 to −8.8‰ in δ13C. The isotopic analyses indicate that the climate during this period can be divided into two stages: a wet phase during the Little Ice Age (LIA) (1590–1850 AD) and comparatively dry phase during the post-LIA after 1850 AD. However, the record also documents the minor dry events during the LIA and a wet episode after the LIA. Within the age uncertainty, the dry spells during the LIA are linked with the historical drought events in the Indian subcontinent and similar latitudes. The isotopic record is consistent with a number of previous studies in the areas influenced by the Westerlies but appears to be conflicting to the regions, dominated by the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). This may be due to the possible changes in the strength of Westerlies in the study area and added by negative anomaly of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during the LIA.