Abstract
AbstractHigh-resolution δ18O records from a Geladaindong mountain ice core spanning the period 1477-1982 were used to investigate past temperature variations in the Yangtze River source region of the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). Annual ice-core δ18O records were positively correlated with temperature data from nearby meteorological stations, suggesting that the δ18O record represented the air temperature in the region. A generally increasing temperature trend over the past 500 years was identified, with amplified warming during the 20th century. A colder stage, spanning before the 1850s, was found to represent the Little Ice Age with colder periods occurring during the 1470s–1500s, 1580s–1660s, 1700s–20s and 1770s–1840s. Compared with other temperature records from the TP and the Northern Hemisphere, the Geladaindong ice-core record suggested that the regional climate of the central TP experienced a stronger warming trend during the 20th century than other regions. In addition, a positive relationship between the Geladaindong δ18O values and the North Atlantic Oscillation index, combined with a wavelet analysis of δ18O records, indicated that there was a potential atmospheric teleconnection between the North Atlantic and the central TP.
Highlights
The Tibetan Plateau (TP) contains 36 793 glaciers covering 49 873 km2, the largest glacier extent outside the polar regions (Shi, 2008)
This study investigates the climatological significance of d18O records over the past 500 years using a 147 m deep ice core retrieved from Geladaindong mountain in the Tanggula mountains
To evaluate the climatological significance of the Geladaindong ice-core d18O records, five meteorological stations were selected in the central TP (Fig. 1) to investigate the correlations between the ice-core d18O records and air temperature
Summary
The Tibetan Plateau (TP) contains 36 793 glaciers covering 49 873 km, the largest glacier extent outside the polar regions (Shi, 2008). Remote-sensing data and in situ observations over the TP have revealed that glacier retreat is widespread (Pu and others, 2008; Yao and others, 2012). These glaciers act as natural archives, preserving detailed information on past environmental and climatic conditions (Thompson and others, 2006a; Yao and others, 2007; Xu and others, 2009; Kang and others, 2010). Ice-core records spanning decades to millennia have indicated that 20th-century warming was a widespread occurrence on the TP (Thompson and others, 2000; Davis and others, 2005; Yao and others, 2007) and has led to dramatic glacial melting (Yao and others, 2012). The results of the ice-core analyses have revealed the complexity of the climate over different areas of the TP and indicated that the entire TP was highly sensitive to 20th-century warming (Thompson and others, 2006b; Yao and others, 2007)
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