Guliya Ice Core Research Articles

Quantifying the Contribution of Multiple Processes to the Dust Decreasing Trend in the Guliya Ice Core Over the Past 50 Years

AbstractDust records extracted from ice cores can facilitate the reconstruction of historical atmospheric dust levels and climate change. However, interpreting dust variations in ice cores is intricate because of the compounded influence of emission, transport, and deposition processes. This study investigated dust records retrieved from the Guliya ice cap drilled in 2015 on the West Tibetan Plateau using a mean trajectory transport and deposition model. Results showed that the Guliya dust concentration has exhibited a declining trend since the 1960s (−751 μg kg−1 yr−1). Applying an attribution approach, we discovered that low dust emission (80.3%) was the main cause of the drop in dust concentration, with changes related to transportation (5.2%) and deposition (14.5%) making only minor contributions. The weakening of surface wind speed in the desert and increasing precipitation in both the desert and glacier were the primary factors driving the decrease in Guliya dust concentration.

Three Pleistocene glacial advances and a warm episode during MIS-3: Towards a more complete glacial history of the Pamir mountains

Determining the spatial and temporal variations of Pleistocene glaciations is key to understanding present-day climate-driven glacier changes. Glacial chronologies of high-mountain Asia, which are mostly based on cosmogenic 10Be exposure dating of moraine boulders, remain scarce and often inaccurate due to geologically induced age scatter. We present 53 new 10Be exposure ages from rockslides, glacial sediment deposits and glacial erosion surfaces in the southwestern Pamir. In conjunction with previously published 10Be data, we constrain the timing and extent of three major glacial stages in the Pamir. During the Middle Pleistocene, a continuous ice sheet covered most of the Pamir. This stage is older than 200 ka and may have occurred during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 8, 10, or 12. The deep valleys of the western Pamir, which contrast with the eastern Pamir plateau, are partly attributed to Middle Pleistocene glacial erosion. Successively less extensive glacial advances occurred during MIS-4/5 (between 60 and 100 ka ago) and during MIS-2 (at 18–22 ka). The last glacial maximum was synchronous in most of the Pamir, except for prolonged glaciation of the Muztagh Ata ice cap until 14 ka ago. Similar to today, Late Pleistocene glaciers were precipitation-limited, with moisture mainly supplied by westerly winds. An episode of increased mass wasting (e.g. Zuvor rockslide: 34 ± 1 ka) and glacier surging correlates with a peak in δ18O values in the Guliya ice core and is attributed to a warmer climate.

Loess microstructure indication indexes for the study of palaeoclimatic conditions in northwest China

AbstractThe Loess Plateau of China, located to the west of the Liupan Mountains and north of the Qinling Mountains stretching across the Yellow River, is the main loess deposit area in Northwest China. The loess in the northwest of China has deposits with large thickness and extensive distribution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy spectrum analysis of loess have been performed to study the relationship between the loess microstructures and the forming climates Era. The relevant indexes were evaluated including the sand‐dropping speed (Vn), certain sedimentary depths (hn sand particle volume (Vd) and element ratios of Ca/Fe, K/Al, Si/Al and Ca/Mg. The microstructure indexes of loess accumulation and evolution reflect paleoclimate conditions and time scales to a certain extent. The important discovery is the microscopic sand‐dropping speed (Vn) and the sedimentary depth hn) calculation method of different sedimentary ages. These indices are compared with the record of major aeolian‐forming climates from the Guliya ice core, and provide a reliable benchmark for studying climate change It also can be used as important indicators of monsoonal change and environmental evolution reconstruction. The index of sand sedimentation speed (Vn) got from loess microstructure could reflect sand‐dropping speed and loess deposition course. According the article can serve as new indicators of climatic changes of different forming loess layers. It can also be concluded that the climatic indexes obtained from loess microstructure can reflect climate conditions of loess forming. The loess forming climatic parameters are synchronous correspond to Tengger Desert and Guliya ice core for studying climate change, then microscopic parameters can also be used for preliminary analysis of loess climate formation and has be found corresponding evidence, and the loess climatic parameters correspond to the other two indexes. The analysis of loess microstructure indexes is very useful in researching climate change. Loess microstructure indexes can find new indicators and information about the monsoon climate evolution and paleoclimate changes.

A Middle Pleistocene Glaciation Record from Lacustrine Sediments in the Western Tibetan Plateau and Discussion on Climate Change

AbstractThe Tibetan Plateau is an important area for studying global climate change, but the answers to many scientific problems remain unknown. Here, we present new information from the lacustrine sedimentary record in the western Tibetan Plateau, related to the third most‐recent glaciations. Continuous sediment data, including sporopollen, particle size, total organic carbon, mass susceptibility, CaCO3, CaSO4, BaSO4 contents and chronological data, were reconstructed and revealed that climate and environmental conditions obviously and distinctly changed between 600 and 700 thousand years ago. In comparison, the data obtained from the Guliya ice core in this area also corresponds to the global glacial climatic characteristics recorded in basin sediments in the eastern and southeastern regions of the plateau and to the information obtained from ice cores in the Antarctic and Arctic regions. In this study, we conclude that the main reason for the glaciations and new tectonic movement must be a geomagnetic polarity reversal 774 thousand years ago (from Matuyama to Brunhes). Indeed, the results of this study suggest that the described reversal event might have influenced the current global climate pattern and will continue to impact climatic changes in the future.

Use of δ18Oatm in dating a Tibetan ice core record of Holocene/Late Glacial climate

Ice cores from the northwestern Tibetan Plateau (NWTP) contain long records of regional climate variability, but refrozen meltwater and dust in these cores has hampered development of robust timescales. Here, we introduce an approach to dating the ice via the isotopic composition of atmospheric O2 in air bubbles (δ18Oatm), along with annual layer counting and radiocarbon dating. We provide a robust chronology for water isotope records (δ18Oice and d-excess) from three ice cores from the Guliya ice cap in the NWTP. The measurement of δ18Oatm, although common in polar ice core timescales, has rarely been used on ice cores from low-latitude, high-altitude glaciers due to (1) low air pressure, (2) the common presence of refrozen melt that adds dissolved gases and reduces the amount of air available for analysis, and (3) the respiratory consumption of molecular oxygen (O2) by micro-organisms in the ice, which fractionates the δ18O of O2 from the atmospheric value. Here, we make corrections for melt and respiration to address these complications. The resulting records of water isotopes from the Guliya ice cores reveal climatic variations over the last 15,000 y, the timings of which correspond to those observed in independently dated lake and speleothem records and confirm that the Guliya ice cap existed before the Holocene. The millennial-scale drivers of δ18Oice are complex and temporally variable; however, Guliya δ18Oice values since the mid-20th century are the highest since the beginning of the Holocene and have increased with regional air temperature.

δ18O of O2 in a Tibetan Ice Core Constrains Its Chronology to the Holocene

AbstractDating of the Tibetan ice cores is often challenging with great uncertainties. The significant age difference between the Guliya ice core (∼760 ka [thousand years]) and other Tibetan ice cores (Holocene origin) necessitates new approaches to resolve the inconsistency. Here, we present the atmospheric O2 δ18O (δ18Oatm) profile of the 216.6 m Chongce ice core. Our data suggest that post depositional alterations significantly changed δ18Oatm. We reject samples with melt layers, and reconstruct the δ18Oatm values with two extreme correction approaches: a minimum isotopic correction based on gas loss fractionation, and a maximum isotopic correction based on respiration fractionation. We consequently estimate the age range of the Chongce ice core to be 2.763–7.192 ka at the depth of 215.14 m, and ∼3–9.799 ka at the depth of 215.61 m. Our work provides an independent line of evidence for the Holocene origin of the Chongce ice core.

Mineralogical, geochemical, and magnetic susceptibility variations in the loess-paleosol sequence from Pattan, Kashmir Valley, India record an enhanced Indian summer monsoon around 35 ka

We present multi-proxy records of bulk chemistry, clay mineralogy, stable isotope composition of soil organic matter (δ13CSOM) and pedogenic carbonate (δ18OSC), and mineral magnetic parameters of a loess-paleosol sequence from Kashmir Valley, India, to infer paleoclimate and paleovegetation during Late Pleistocene. 14C AMS dating brackets the age of paleosols between 40 and 19.6 ka and suggests loess to be > 40 ka. Our study shows that a cold/dry climate prevailed at >40 ka (Late Pleistocene), during which the loess accumulation took place, and a warm/humid climate after that led to the development of soil units, with a prominent warm/humid phase around 35 ka. The range of Chemical Index of Alteration (72–78) and significant amounts of illite and chlorite in the section indicate moderate weathering. High kaolinite content, low chlorite, increased K/C, I/C, K/(I + C) ratio, and presence of poorly crystalline and Al-rich illite by ∼36 ka indicates increasing weathering intensity, likely due to an enhanced Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). High magnetic susceptibility during 35–32 ka indicates enhanced pedogenesis due to a warm-humid climate. Paleotemperature estimates reveal a relatively warmer (by ∼7 °C) climate during pedogenesis than that at >40 ka. δ13CSOM values (−17‰ to −22.2‰) suggest C3 plants dominated the Kashmir Valley through the Late Pleistocene, however, a short period of enhanced summer monsoon at ∼35 ka favored C4 plant growth. The paleoclimate variability in the loess-paleosol sequence presented here agrees with the Guliya Ice Core δ18O record and high lake water levels in the Tibetan Plateau.

Brief communication: New evidence further constraining Tibetan ice core chronologies to the Holocene

Abstract. There is considerable controversy regarding the age ranges of Tibetan ice cores. The Guliya ice core was reported to reach as far back as ∼760 ka (kiloannum, i.e. 1000 years), whereas chronologies of all other Tibetan cores cover at most the Holocene. Here we present ages for two new ice cores reaching bedrock, from the Zangser Kangri (ZK) glacier in the northwestern Tibetan Plateau and the Shulenanshan (SLNS) glacier in the western Qilian Mountains. We estimated bottom ages of 8.90±0.570.56 ka and 7.46±1.461.79 ka for the ZK and SLNS ice core respectively, further constraining the time range accessible by Tibetan ice cores to the Holocene.

Temperature Trends in the Northwestern Tibetan Plateau Constrained by Ice Core Water Isotopes Over the Past 7,000 Years

AbstractThe reasons for the Holocene temperature conundrum, known as the inconsistency between the reconstructed cooling and the inferred warming simulations during the Holocene, remain unclear. Temperature reconstructions from the Tibetan Plateau (TP) provide important insights for understanding the Holocene temperature conundrum due to enhanced sensitivity to climate at high altitudes. Given the significant positive correlation between air temperature and δ18O in precipitation over the northern TP, the stable isotopic records of ice cores recovered from this area are widely used for paleotemperature reconstruction. Here we present a new high‐resolution δ18O record from the Chongce ice cores to bedrock, dated back to 7 ka BP by the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dating technique. Our reconstructed temperature record shows a long‐term warming trend until ~2 ka BP, followed by an abrupt change to a relatively cool period until the start of the industrial‐era warming. This record challenges the widely recognized Holocene reconstruction from the neighboring Guliya ice core. It is also different from many previous temperature reconstructions, most of which have summer biases and show a long‐term cooling trend over the past two millennia. In addition, our record shows that temperatures during the recent decades are almost the highest during the past 7 ka BP, highlighting the unusual warming forced by anthropogenic greenhouse gases.

Apparent discrepancy of Tibetan ice core <i>δ</i><sup>18</sup>O records may be attributed to misinterpretation of chronology

Abstract. Ice cores from the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are widely used for reconstructing past climatic and environmental conditions that extend beyond the instrumental period. However, challenges in dating and interpreting ice core records often lead to inconsistent results. The Guliya ice core drilled from the northwestern TP suggested a cooling trend during the mid-Holocene based on its decreasing δ18O values, which is not observed in other Tibetan ice cores. Here we present a new high-resolution δ18O record of the Chongce ice cores drilled to bedrock ∼30 km away from the Guliya ice cap. Our record shows a warming trend during the mid-Holocene. Based on our results as well as previously published ice core data, we suggest that the apparent discrepancy between the Holocene δ18O records of the Guliya and the Chongce ice cores may be attributed to a possible misinterpretation of the Guliya ice core chronology.

81Kr Dating at the Guliya Ice Cap, Tibetan Plateau

AbstractWe present radiometric 81Kr dating results for ice samples collected at the outlets of the Guliya ice cap in the western Kunlun Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau. This first application of 81Kr dating on midlatitude glacier ice was made possible by recent advances in Atom Trap Trace Analysis, particularly a reduction in the required sample size down to 1 μL STP of krypton. Eight ice blocks were sampled from the bottom of the glacier at three different sites along the southern edges. The 81Kr data yield upper age limits in the range of 15–74 ka (90% confidence level). This is an order of magnitude lower than the ages exceeding 500 ka which the previous 36Cl data suggest for the bottom of the Guliya ice core. It is also significantly lower than the widely used chronology up to 110 ka established for the upper part of the core based on ice δ18O.

Age ranges of the Tibetan ice cores with emphasis on the Chongce ice cores, western Kunlun Mountains

Abstract. An accurate chronology is the essential first step for a sound understanding of ice core records. However, dating ice cores drilled from the high-elevation glaciers is challenging and often problematic, leading to great uncertainties. The Guliya ice core, drilled to the bedrock (308.6 m in length) along the western Kunlun Mountains on the north-western Tibetan Plateau (TP) and widely used as a benchmark for palaeoclimate research, is believed to reach >500 ka (thousand years) at its bottom. Meanwhile other Tibetan ice cores (i.e. Dasuopu and East Rongbuk in the Himalayas, Puruogangri in the central TP and Dunde in the north-eastern TP) are mostly of Holocene origin. In this study, we drilled four ice cores into bedrock (216.6, 208.6, 135.8 and 133.8 m in length, respectively) from the Chongce ice cap ∼30 km to the Guliya ice core drilling site. We took measurements of 14C, 210Pb, tritium and β activity for the ice cores, and used these values in a two-parameter flow model to establish the ice core depth–age relationship. We suggested that the Chongce ice cores might be of Holocene origin, consistent with the other Tibetan ice cores except Guliya. The remarkable discrepancy between the Guliya and all the other Tibetan ice core chronology implies that more effort is necessary to explore multiple dating techniques to confirm the age ranges of the TP glaciers, including those from Chongce and Guliya.

Atmospheric depositions of natural and anthropogenic trace elements on the Guliya ice cap (northwestern Tibetan Plateau) during the last 340 years

A continuous record of 29 trace elements (TEs) has been constructed between 1650 and 1991 CE (Common Era) from an ice core retrieved in 1992 from the Guliya ice cap, on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau. Enrichments of Pb, Cd, Zn and Sb were detected during the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century (∼1850–1950) while enrichments of Sn (1965–1991), Cd and Pb (1975–1991) were detected during the second half of the 20th century. The EFs increased significantly by 20% for Cd and Sb, and by 10% for Pb and Zn during 1850–1950 relative to the pre-1850s. Comparisons of the Guliya TEs data with other ice core-derived and production/consumption data suggest that Northern Hemisphere coal combustion (primarily in Western Europe) is the likely source of Pb, Cd, Zn, and Sb during the 1850–1950 period. Coal combustion in Europe declined as oil replaced coal as the primary energy source. The European shift from coal to oil may have contributed to the observed Sn enrichment in ∼1965 (60% EF increase in 1975–1991), although regional fossil fuel combustion (coal and leaded gasoline) from western China, Central Asia, and South Asia (India, Nepal), as well as Sn mining/smelting in Central Asia, may also be possible sources. The post-1975 Cd and Pb enrichments (40% and 20% EF increase respectively in 1975–1991) may reflect emissions from phosphate fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, and/or non-ferrous metal production, from western China, Central Asia, and/or South Asia. Leaded gasoline is likely to have also contributed to the post-1975 Pb enrichment observed in this record. The results strongly suggest that the Guliya ice cap has recorded long-distance emissions from coal combustion since the 1850s with more recent contributions from regional agriculture, mining, and/or fossil fuel combustion. This new Guliya ice core record of TEs fills a geographical gap in the reconstruction of the pollution history of this region that extends well beyond modern instrumental records.

Ice Microstructure and Fabric of Guliya Ice Cap in Tibetan Plateau, and Comparisons with Vostok3G-1, EPICA DML, and North GRIP

This work is the first in the general natural ice literature to compare microstructures and fabrics of continent-type mountain ice in mid-low latitudes with polar ice in order to find out how they evolved based on similar fabric patterns of their vertically girdles. Microstructures and fabrics along the Guliya ice core on the Tibetan Plateau, China, were measured at a depth interval of approximately 10 m. The grain sizes increase unevenly with depth. The fabric patterns vary from the isotropic fabric, to broad single maximum, to vertical girdle, to single-maximum, and finally to multiple-maximum fabric. The grain growth rate of the Guliya core is faster than that of the Vostok3G-1, the EPICA DML, and the North GRIP. The vertical girdle fabric of the Guliya core forms at a high temperature and low strain rate. The strong single maximum fabric of the Guliya core appears in the mid-low part of the core with vertical uniaxial compression or simple shear. The thermal kinemics caused by the temperature can play a vital role in different stress cases to cast the similar or same fabric patterns. Normal grain growth, polygonization/rotation recrystallization, and migration recrystallization play roles different importance at different depths.

Late Quaternary alluvial fan terraces: Langshan, Inner Mongolia, China

Alluvial fan terraces of the Langshan Range in the northwestern Hetao Basin of northern China records uplift on range-bounding faults and late Quaternary climate change. Alluvial fan profiles are segmented in the central part of the range front, which lack strath terraces that developed in the southwest (SW) and northeast (NE) parts. The stream channels in the central part have higher channel gradients and lower ratios of the valley floor width to valley height (V). Four episodes of alluvial fan terraces were upstream from the range-bounding fault, which formation ages were estimated as ~116, 64, 35, and 10ka BP according to optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating combined with previous 14C and OSL ages. The correlation between time of the terraces formation and climatic fluctuations recorded in a Guliya ice core reveals that alluvial fan aggradation was concentrated during the cold stages and that incision occurred during the succeeding cold-to-warm transitions. A majority of alluvial fan terraces developed in accelerated uplift since ~64ka, which indicates that tectonic uplift provided the driving force for continuous downcutting after climatic change triggered it. Geomorphic indices (channel gradient and V) distribution reconstructs the model of discrepant uplift in the Langshan Range with the fastest uplift rate in the central part, which is controlled by range-bounding faults.

Drought promoted the disappearance of civilizations along the ancient Silk Road

Understanding the reasons of the disappearance of oasis civilizations along the ancient Silk Road will provide useful references for human’s adaptation to environmental changes in the extreme arid regions in the nowadays and future. Although some studies have associated the demise of complex societies with deteriorating climate in the world, the demise of the civilizations along the ancient Silk Road has remained unresolved. Here, this paper used the nearly 2000 years of climate characteristics revealed by Guliya ice cores, combined with the reconstruction of temperature from tree rings located in the west Kunlun Mountains around the Tarim Basin to examine the climate variations in the Northwestern China in the historical periods. Then this paper compared the demise time of the ancient oases civilizations along the ancient Silk Road from the relevant annals of states and counties. The results showed that climate change may be responsible for the rise and demise of past oasis civilizations in the ancient Silk Road. The periods of fourth to fifth centuries and the seventh to eighth centuries were characterized by long-term drought accompanied by cold climate; five ancient oases and seven ancient oases were demised, respectively, during these periods. Cold–dry climate could cause a deficiency in water resources for irrigation; thus, agricultural production fell and the society was destabilized. Recently, creation of a new “Silk Road economic belt” is realized. Modern oases will face more serious threat under the climate change. The region’s irrigation area increased 67.2 % over the past 30 years. The agricultural sector consumes 93 % of regional renewable water resources. Once the drought occurred, many modern oases—like their ancient counterparts—may well trigger more civil uprising and violent conflict in the already water-stressed regions.

Late Pleistocene montane vegetation and climate history from the Dajiuhu Basin in the western Hubei Province of Central China

A continuous 775-cm-long sediment core (Core B) was collected from the Dajiuhu Basin in the western Shennongjia Forest Region of Central China. The core between 775 and 144cm in depth spanning the period from 83.4 to 9.6ka (calibrated age, throughout this study) was studied for pollen analysis. The high-resolution pollen record revealed the histories of the vegetation succession and climate changes from 83.4 to 9.6ka in the mountainous regions at an altitude of approximately 1,700ma.s.l. in Central China. The results show that five evident climate changes disclosed by the pollen record in Core B correspond to MIS (Marine Isotope Stage) 5a, MIS 4, MIS 3, the LGM (Last Glacial Maximum) of MIS 2, and the period from the deglacial of MIS 2 to the early Holocene, respectively. The temperature changes in the Dajiuhu Basin are consistent with the solar insolation in the Northern Hemisphere, the climate records in the Greenland and Guliya ice cores, the stalagmite, and the loess. However, the precipitation changes during the late Quaternary in the study area were roughly reversed with the temperature changes in the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, the climatic patterns from 83.4 to 9.6ka in the Dajiuhu Basin are cold and humid conditions and warm and dry conditions, which may be caused by the middle latitude position, the humid monsoon climate, and the steep mountainous geomorphology of the study area.

Reconstruction of precipitation δ18O over the Tibetan Plateau since 1910

AbstractAn accurate representation of the spatiotemporal variation of stable isotopes in precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is critical information for hydrological and ecological applications for the region. This paper reconstructs annual δ18O data with 2.5° × 3.75° latitude‐longitude resolutions over the TP since 1910 using the spectral optimal gridding (SOG) method. The SOG calculates empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) from the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique isotopic version general circulation model over the TP from 1978 to 2007 and regresses the δ18O data of 10 ice cores over TP against the EOF basis functions. The reconstructed data can effectively demonstrate spatiotemporal characteristics of TP precipitation δ18O. The spatial average interannual δ18O anomalies agree well with the time series of Guliya ice core δ18O, implying Guliya δ18O's typical representation of the TP δ18O temporal variation.

Vegetation and climate history reconstructed from an alpine lake in central Tienshan Mountains since 8.5 ka BP

Abstract High mountains are humid islands in arid central Asia, and alpine vegetation is sensitive to climate change, especially to temperature variations. Here we present a palynological sequence and discuss the past vegetation and climate changes based on core BY10A from the Swan Lake, an alpine lake situated at an inter-montane basin in the central Tienshan Mountains, Xinjiang, northwestern China. We collected 52 modern pollen surface samples at different elevations to aid in the interpretation of fossil-pollen data, which provide a reconstruction of vegetation and climate history for the last 8.5 ka (1 ka = 1000 cal yr BP). Artemisia and Amaranthaceae (= Chenopodiaceae) are the main pollen types in desert steppe zone below 1800 m elevation, while Poaceae and Picea dominate the mid-elevation forest steppe zone (1800–2800 m). Cyperaceae is the main indicator of high alpine meadows (> 2800 m). From 8.5 to 6.9 ka, the vegetation was steppe meadow suggesting relatively warm climate. From 6.9 to 2.6 ka generally high values of Cyperaceae and peaty sediments indicate a fen environment and cooler, more humid conditions. Interrupting this mid-Holocene period is a 5.5–4.5 ka millennium of lacustrine sediments with lower Cyperaceae, higher Poaceae and Artemisia , and high values of Myriophyllum and Pediastrum indicating higher water levels and warmer temperatures. After 2.6 ka, pollen data indicate alpine steppe and warmer climate. The mid-Holocene pattern of cooler climate interrupted by a warmer period is consistent from other regional records from Xinjiang, including the Guliya ice core and Kesang Cave speleothem record. During the cooler periods, the regional record indicates that a weakened summer Asian monsoon is countered to some extent by a stronger winter monsoon.

Reconstruction Paleoclimate Dased on Sporopollen Record of Re'nacuo Lake, Tibet

AbstractThe sedimentary sequences since 33 ka B.P. to 10 ka B.P. have been established in the Re'nacuo‐Lake, Gaize area of north Tibet, through a study of a lacustrine section. The climate since 33 ka B.P. to 10 ka B.P. may be divided into two cycle include 5 dry phases and 5 moist phases from reconstructing the paleoclimate through a study of sporopollen analysis. It mainly reflects the general regularity of global climatic change through contrasting with the pale environment in northern hemisphere. Our pollen record reveals a regional climate history similar to those from the neighboring sites, including the GISP2, the Guliya ice core and core RM in Zoige, and thus supports the notion that the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau acts as an important link between climatic events in the North Atlantic realm and the Asian monsoon domain. The response of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau to the global climatic change is relatively sensitive.