Warmly Welcome Dr. Lucian Sfîcă to the Editorial Board of JASR
2024-06-20
Role of Different Moisture Sources in Driving the Western Himalayan Past-glacier Advances
Authors
-
Prachita Arora
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, 226007, India
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, 201002, India
-
Sheikh Nawaz Ali
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, 226007, India
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, 201002, India -
Anupam Sharma
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, 226007, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30564/jasr.v6i3.5581Abstract
The fragmented pattern and the rapidly declining preservation of older glacial features/evidences limits the precision, with which glacial chronologies can be established. The challenge is exacerbated by the scarcity of datable material and limitations of dating methods. Nevertheless, the preserved glacial landforms have been fairly utilized to establish glacial chronologies from different sectors of the Indian Himalayas. The existing Himalayan glacial chrono-stratigraphies have revealed that in a single valley, past glacial advances rarely surpass four stages. Thus, local and regional glacial chronologies must be synthesized to understand glacial dynamics and potential forcing factors. This research presents an overview of glacier responses to climate variations revealed by glacial chrono-stratigraphies in the western Indian Himalayan region over the Quaternary (late). The synthesis demonstrated that, although the glacial advances were sporadic, glaciers in western Himalayas generally advanced during the Marine isotope stage (MIS)-3/4, MIS-2, late glacial, Younger Dryas (YD) and Holocene periods. The Holocene has witnessed multiple glacial advances and the scatter is significant. While previous glacial research revealed that Himalayan glaciers were out of phase with the global last glacial maximum (gLGM), weak Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) has been implicated (ISM was reduced by roughly 20%). Recent research, however, has shown that gLGM glaciation responded to the global cooling associated with the enhanced mid-latitude westerlies (MLW). Further, the magnitude of gLGM glacier advance varied along and across the Himalayas particularly the transitional valleys located between the ISM and MLW influence. It is also evident that both the ISM and MLW have governed the late Quaternary glacial advances in the western Himalayan region. However, the responses of glaciers to ISM changes are more prominent. The insights gained from this synthesis will help us understand the dynamics of glacier response to climate change, which will be valuable for future climate modelling.
Keywords:
Glacial chrono-stratigraphy; Dating technique limits; Climate drivers; Western Himalaya; IndiaReferences
[1] Immerzeel, W.W., Van Beek, L.P.H., Bierkens, M.F.P., 2010. Climate change will affect the Asian water towers. Science. 328(5984), 1382-1385.
[2] Scott, C.A., Zhang F., Mukherji A., et al., 2019. Water in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. The Hindu Kush Himalaya assessment. Springer: Cham. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92288-1_8
[3] Owen, L.A., 2009. Latest Pleistocene and Holocene glacier fluctuations in the Himalaya and Tibet. Quaternary Science Reviews. 28, 2150-2164.
[4] Haeberli, W., Frauenfelder, R., Hoelzle, M., et al., 1999. On rates and acceleration trends of global glacier mass changes. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography. 81(4), 585-591.
[5] Ageta, Y., Naito, N., Nakawo, M., et al., 2001. Study project on the recent rapid shrinkage of summer-accumulation type glaciers in the Himalayas. Bulletin of Glaciological Research. 18, 45-49.
[6] Hewitt, K., 2005. The Karakoram anomaly? Glacier expansion and the‘elevation effect’, Karakoram Himalaya. Mountain Research and Development. 25(4), 332-340.
[7] Gardelle, J., Berthier, E., Arnaud, Y., et al., 2013. Region-wide glacier mass balances over the Pamir-Karakoram-Himalaya during 1999-2011. The Cryosphere. 7(4), 1263-1286.
[8] Maurer, J.M., Schaefer, J.M., Rupper, S., et al., 2019. Acceleration of ice loss across the Himalayas over the past 40 years. Science Advances. 5(6). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aav7266
[9] Buytaert, W., Moulds, S., Acosta, L., et al., 2017. Glacial melt content of water use in the tropical Andes. Environmental Research Letters. 12(11), 114014.
[10] Milner, A.M., Khamis, K., Battin, T.J., et al., 2017. Glacier shrinkage driving global changes in downstream systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114(37), 9770-9778.
[11] Beniston, M., Diaz, H.F., Bradley, R.S., 1997. Climatic change at high elevation sites: an overview. Climatic Change. 36(3-4), 233-251.
[12] Kääb, A., Chiarle, M., Raup, B., et al., 2007. Climate change impacts on mountain glaciers and permafrost. Global and Planetary Change. 56(1-2), 7-9.
[13] Pratt-Sitaula, B., Burbank, D.W., Heimsath, A.M., et al., 2011. Topographic control of asynchronous glacial advances: A case study from Annapurna, Nepal. Geophysical Research Letters. 38(24).
[14] Zech, R., Zech, M., Kubik, P.W., et al., 2009. Deglaciation and landscape history around Annapurna, Nepal, based on 10Be surface exposure dating. Quaternary Science Reviews. 28(11-12), 1106-1118.
[15] Schaefer, J.M., Oberholzer, P., Zhao, Z., et al., 2008. Cosmogenic beryllium-10 and neon-21 dating of late Pleistocene glaciations in Nyalam, monsoonal Himalayas. Quaternary Science Reviews. 27(3-4), 295-311.
[16] Ali, S.N., Juyal, N., 2013. Chronology of late quaternary glaciations in Indian Himalaya: A critical review. Journal of the Geological Society of India. 82(6), 628-638.
[17] Ali, S.N., Biswas, R.H., Shukla, A.D., et al., 2013. Chronology and climatic implications of Late Quaternary glaciations in the Goriganga valley, central Himalaya, India. Quaternary Science Reviews. 73, 59-76.
[18] Eugster, P., Scherler, D., Thiede, R.C., et al., 2016. Rapid Last Glacial Maximum deglaciation in the Indian Himalaya coeval with midlatitude glaciers: New insights from 10Be-dating of ice-polished bedrock surfaces in the Chandra Valley, NW Himalaya. Geophysical Research Letters. 43(4), 1589-1597.
[19] Ganju, A., Nagar, Y.C., Sharma, L.N., et al., 2018. Luminescence chronology and climatic implication of the late quaternary glaciation in the Nubra valley, Karakoram Himalaya, India. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 502, 52-62.
[20] Kumar, V., Mehta, M., Shukla, A., et al., 2021. Late Quaternary glacial advances and equilibrium-line altitude changes in a semi-arid region, Suru Basin, western Himalaya. Quaternary Science Reviews. 267, 107100.
[21] Brown, E.T., Bendick, R., Bourles, D.L., et al., 2002. Slip rates of the Karakorum fault, Ladakh, India, determined using cosmic ray exposure dating of debris flows and moraines. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 107(B9), ESE-7.
[22] Madden-Nadeau, A., 2014. Overview of the Geology of the Himalayas [Internet]. Available from: https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/~/media/shared/documents/Events/Past%20Meeting%20Resources/Himalaya%2014%20Geology%20of%20the%20Himalayas.pdf
[23] Ageta, Y., Higuchi, K., 1984. Estimation of mass balance components of a summer-accumulation type glacier in the Nepal Himalaya. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography. 66(3), 249-255.
[24] Benn, D.I., Owen, L.A., 1998. The role of the Indian summer monsoon and the mid-latitude westerlies in Himalayan glaciation: Review and speculative discussion. Journal of the Geological Society. 155(2), 353-363.
[25] Sharma, A., Phartiyal, B., 2018. Late quaternary palaeoclimate and contemporary moisture source to extreme NW India: A review on present understanding and future perspectives. Frontiers in Earth Science. 6, 150.
[26] Ali, S.N., Agrawal, S., Sharma, A., et al., 2020. Holocene hydroclimatic variability in the zanskar valley, northwestern Himalaya, India. Quaternary Research. 97, 140-156.
[27] Grimm, E.C., 1987. CONISS: a FORTRAN 77 program for stratigraphically constrained cluster analysis by the method of incremental sum of squares. Computers & Geosciences. 13(1), 13-35.
[28] Adams, B., Dietsch, C., Owen, L.A., et al., 2009. Exhumation and incision history of the Lahul Himalaya, northern India, based on (U-Th)/He thermochronometry and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide methods. Geomorphology. 107(3-4), 285-299.
[29] Burbank, D.W., Bookhagen, B., Gabet, E.J., et al., 2012. Modern climate and erosion in the Himalaya. Comptes Rendus Geoscience. 344(11-12), 610-626.
[30] Owen, L.A., Caffee, M.W., Bovard, K.R., et al., 2006. Terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating of the oldest glacial successions in the Himalayan orogen: Ladakh Range, northern India. Geological Society of America Bulletin. 118(3-4), 383-392.
[31] Hedrick, K.A., Seong, Y.B., Owen, L.A., et al., 2011. Towards defining the transition in style and timing of Quaternary glaciation between the monsoon-influenced Greater Himalaya and the semi-arid Transhimalaya of Northern India. Quaternary International. 236(1-2), 21-33.
[32] Orr, E.N., Owen, L.A., Saha, S., et al., 2018. Quaternary glaciation of the lato massif, zanskar range of the NW Himalaya. Quaternary Science Reviews. 183, 140-156.
[33] Bookhagen, B., Thiede, R.C., Strecker, M.R., 2005. Late Quaternary intensified monsoon phases control landscape evolution in the northwest Himalaya. Geology. 33(2), 149-152.
[34] Bookhagen, B., Thiede, R.C., Strecker, M.R., 2005. Abnormal monsoon years and their control on erosion and sediment flux in the high, arid northwest Himalaya. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 231(1-2), 131-146.
[35] Dortch, J.M., Owen, L.A., Caffee, M.W., 2010. Quaternary glaciation in the Nubra and Shyok valley confluence, northernmost Ladakh, India. Quaternary Research. 74(1), 132-144.
[36] Orr, E.N., Owen, L.A., Murari, M.K., et al., 2017. The timing and extent of Quaternary glaciation of Stok, northern Zanskar Range, Transhimalaya, of northern India. Geomorphology. 284, 142-155.
[37] Dong, G., Zhou, W., Xian, F., et al., 2022. Timing and climatic drivers for the MIS 6 glaciation in the central Himalaya: 10Be surface exposure dating of hummocky moraine northwest of Mt. Gang Benchhen, Paiku Gangri. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 605, 111230.
[38] Colleoni, F., Wekerle, C., Näslund, J.O., et al., 2016. Constraint on the penultimate glacial maximum Northern Hemisphere ice topography (≈ 140 kyrs BP). Quaternary Science Reviews. 137, 97-112.
[39] Lisiecki, L.E., Raymo, M.E., 2005. A Pliocene Pleistocene stack of 57 globally distributed benthic δ18O records. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. 20(1).
[40] Murari, M.K., Owen, L.A., Dortch, J.M., et al., 2014. Timing and climatic drivers for glaciation across monsoon-influenced regions of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen. Quaternary Science Reviews. 88, 159-182.
[41] Chevallier, P., Pouyaud, B., Suarez, W., et al., 2011. Climate change threats to environment in the tropical Andes: Glaciers and water resources. Regional Environmental Change. 11, 179-187.
[42] Thompson, L.O., Yao, T., Davis, M.E., et al., 1997. Tropical climate instability: The last glacial cycle from a Qinghai-Tibetan ice core. Science. 276(5320), 1821-1825.
[43] Ali, S.N., Singh, P., Arora, P., et al., 2022. Luminescence dating of late pleistocene glacial and glacio-fluvial sediments in the Central Himalaya, India. Quaternary Science Reviews. 284, 107464.
[44] Sharma, S., Chand, P., Bisht, P., et al., 2016. Factors responsible for driving the glaciation in the Sarchu Plain, eastern Zanskar Himalaya, during the late Quaternary. Journal of Quaternary Science. 31(5), 495-511.
[45] Sharma, S., Shukla, A.D., 2018. Factors governing the pattern of glacier advances since the Last Glacial Maxima in the transitional climate zone of the Southern Zanskar Ranges, NW Himalaya. Quaternary Science Reviews. 201, 223-240.
[46] Dortch, J.M., Owen, L.A., Caffee, M.W., 2013. Timing and climatic drivers for glaciation across semi-arid western Himalayan-Tibetan orogen. Quaternary Science Reviews. 78, 188-208.
[47] Johnsen, S.J., Clausen, H.B., Dansgaard, W., et al., 1997. The δ18O record along the Greenland Ice Core Project deep ice core and the problem of possible Eemian climatic instability. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. 102(C12), 26397-26410.
[48] Andersen, K.K., Svensson, A., Johnsen, S.J., et al., 2006. The Greenland ice core chronology 2005, 15-42 ka. Part 1: Constructing the time scale. Quaternary Science Reviews. 25(23-24), 3246-3257.
[49] Heinrich, H., 1988. Origin and consequences of cyclic ice rafting in the northeast Atlantic Ocean during the past 130,000 years. Quaternary Research. 29(2), 142-152.
[50] Bond, G., Heinrich, H., Broecker, W., et al., 1992. Evidence for massive discharges of icebergs into the North Atlantic ocean during the last glacial period. Nature. 360(6401), 245-249.
[51] Bond, G., Broecker, W., Johnsen, S., et al., 1993. Correlations between climate records from North Atlantic sediments and Greenland ice. Nature. 365(6442), 143-147.
[52] Liu, S., Ye, W., Chen, M.T., et al., 2021. Millennial-scale variability of Indian summer monsoon during the last 42 kyr: Evidence based on foraminiferal Mg/Ca and oxygen isotope records from the central Bay of Bengal. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 562, 110112.
[53] Mix, A.C., Bard, E., Schneider, R., 2001. Environmental processes of the ice age: Land, oceans, glaciers (EPILOG). Quaternary Science Reviews. 20(4), 627-657.
[54] Bali, R., Ali, S.N., Agarwal, K.K., et al., 2013. Chronology of late Quaternary glaciation in the Pindar valley, Alaknanda basin, Central Himalaya (India). Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. 66, 224-233.
[55] Shukla, T., Mehta, M., Jaiswal, M.K., et al., 2018. Late Quaternary glaciation history of monsoon-dominated Dingad basin, central Himalaya, India. Quaternary Science Reviews. 181, 43-64.
[56] Overpeck, J., Anderson, D., Trumbore, S., et al., 1996. The southwest Indian Monsoon over the last 18000 years. Climate Dynamics. 12, 213-225.
[57] Sirocko, F., Garbe-Schönberg, D., McIntyre, A., et al., 1996. Teleconnections between the subtropical monsoons and high-latitude climates during the last deglaciation. Science. 272(5261), 526-529.
[58] Kudrass, H.R., Hofmann, A., Doose, H., et al., 2001. Modulation and amplification of climatic changes in the Northern Hemisphere by the Indian summer monsoon during the past 80 ky. Geology. 29(1), 63-66.
[59] Kathayat, G., Cheng, H., Sinha, A., et al., 2016. Indian monsoon variability on millennial-orbital timescales. Scientific Reports. 6(1), 1-7.
[60] Wang, Y.J., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., et al., 2001. A high-resolution absolute-dated late Pleistocene monsoon record from Hulu Cave, China. Science. 294(5550), 2345-2348.
[61] Yuan, D., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., et al., 2004. Timing, duration, and transitions of the last interglacial Asian monsoon. Science. 304(5670), 575-578.
[62] Prell, W.L., Kutzbach, J.E., 1987. Monsoon variability over the past 150,000 years. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 92(D7), 8411-8425.
[63] Rupper, S., Koppes, M., 2010. Spatial patterns in Central Asian climate and equilibrium line altitudes. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 9(1), 012009.
[64] Taylor, P.J., Mitchell, W.A., 2000. The Quaternary glacial history of the Zanskar Range, north-west Indian Himalaya. Quaternary International. 65, 81-99.
[65] Lee, S.Y., Seong, Y.B., Owen, L.A., et al., 2014. Late Quaternary glaciation in the Nun-Kun massif, northwestern India. Boreas. 43(1), 67-89.
[66] Colin, C., Kissel, C., Blamart, D., et al., 1998. Magnetic properties of sediments in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea: Impact of rapid North Atlantic Ocean climatic events on the strength of the Indian monsoon. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 160(3-4), 623-635.
[67] Alley, R.B., 2000. The Younger Dryas cold interval as viewed from central Greenland. Quaternary Science Reviews. 19(1-5), 213-226.
[68] Brauer, A., Haug, G.H., Dulski, P., et al., 2008. An abrupt wind shift in western Europe at the onset of the Younger Dryas cold period. Nature Geoscience. 1(8), 520-523.
[69] Broecker, W.S., Denton, G.H., Edwards, R.L., et al., 2010. Putting the Younger Dryas cold event into context. Quaternary Science Reviews. 29(9-10), 1078-1081.
[70] Owen, L.A., Bailey, R.M., Rhodes, E.J., et al., 1997. Style and timing of glaciation in the Lahaul Himalaya, northern India: A framework for reconstructing late Quaternary palaeoclimatic change in the western Himalayas. Journal of Quaternary Science: Published for the Quaternary Research Association. 12(2), 83-109.
[71] Owen, L.A., Gualtieri, L.Y.N., Finkel, R.C., et al., 2001. Cosmogenic radionuclide dating of glacial landforms in the Lahul Himalaya, northern India: Defining the timing of Late Quaternary glaciation. Journal of Quaternary Science: Published for the Quaternary Research Association. 16(6), 555-563.
[72] Owen, L.A., Derbyshire, E., Richardson, S., et al., 1996. The Quaternary glacial history of the Lahul Himalaya, northern India. Journal of Quaternary Science: Published for the Quaternary Research Association. 11(1), 25-42.
[73] Saha, S., Sharma, M.C., Murari, M.K., et al., 2016. Geomorphology, sedimentology and minimum exposure ages of streamlined subglacial landforms in the NW Himalaya, India. Boreas. 45(2), 284-303.
[74] Deswal, S., Sharma, M.C., Saini, R., et al., 2017. Late holocene glacier dynamics in the Miyar Basin, Lahaul Himalaya, India. Geosciences. 7(3), 64.
[75] Berger, A., Loutre, M.F., 1991. Insolation values for the climate of the last 10 million years. Quaternary Science Reviews. 10(4), 297-317.
[76] Finkel, R.C., Owen, L.A., Barnard, P.L., et al., 2003. Beryllium-10 dating of Mount Everest moraines indicates a strong monsoon influence and glacial synchroneity throughout the Himalaya. Geology. 31(6), 561-564.
[77] Scherler, D., Bookhagen, B., Strecker, M.R., et al., 2010. Timing and extent of late Quaternary glaciation in the western Himalaya constrained by 10Be moraine dating in Garhwal, India. Quaternary Science Reviews. 29(7-8), 815-831.
[78] Rana, N., Sharma, S., Ali, S.N., et al., 2019. Investigating the sensitivity of glaciers to climate variability since the MIS-2 in the upper Ganga catchment (Saraswati valley), Central Himalaya. Geomorphology. 346, 106854.
[79] Rupper, S., Roe, G., Gillespie, A., 2009. Spatial patterns of Holocene glacier advance and retreat in Central Asia. Quaternary Research. 72(3), 337-346.
[80] Ganopolski, A., Rahmstorf, S., Petoukhov, V., et al., 1998. Simulation of modern and glacial climates with a coupled global model of intermediate complexity. Nature. 391(6665), 351-356.
[81] Herzschuh, U., 2006. Palaeo-moisture evolution in monsoonal Central Asia during the last 50,000 years. Quaternary Science Reviews. 25(1-2), 163-178.
[82] Braconnot, P., Otto-Bliesner, B., Harrison, S., et al., 2007. Results of PMIP2 coupled simulations of the Mid-Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum—Part 1: Experiments and large-scale features. Climate of the Past. 3(2), 261-277.
[83] Mehta, M., Dobhal, D.P., Pratap, B., et al., 2014. Late quaternary glacial advances in the tons river valley, Garhwal Himalaya, India and regional synchronicity. The Holocene. 24(10), 1336-1350.
[84] Bisht, P., Ali, S.N., Shukla, A.D., et al., 2015. Chronology of late Quaternary glaciation and landform evolution in the upper Dhauliganga valley, (Trans Himalaya), Uttarakhand, India. Quaternary Science Reviews. 129, 147-162.
[85] Nagar, Y.C., Ganju, A., Satyawali, P.K., et al., 2013. Preliminary optical chronology suggests significant advance in Nubra valley glaciers during the Last Glacial Maximum. Current Science. 105(1), 96-101.
[86] Ali, S.N., Morthekai, P., Bajpai, S., et al., 2020. Redefining the timing of Tongul glacial stage in the Suru Valley, NW Himalaya, India: New insights from luminescence dating. Journal of Earth System Science. 129, 1-11.
[87] Adams, J., Maslin, M., Thomas, E., 1999. Sudden climate transitions during the Quaternary. Progress in Physical Geography. 23(1), 1-36.
[88] Shukla, A.D., Sharma, S., Rana, N., et al., 2020. Optical chronology and climatic implication of glacial advances from the southern Ladakh Range, NW Himalaya, India. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 539, 109505.
[89] Rothlisberger, F., Geyh, M.A., 1985. Glacier Variations in Himalayas and Karakorum [Internet]. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279603460_Glacier_variations_in_Himalayas_and_Karakorum
Downloads
How to Cite
Arora, P., Ali, S. N., & Sharma, A. (2023). Role of Different Moisture Sources in Driving the Western Himalayan Past-glacier Advances. Journal of Atmospheric Science Research, 6(3), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.30564/jasr.v6i3.5581
Issue
Article Type
Review
License
Copyright © 2023 Prachita Arora, Sheikh Nawaz Ali, Anupam Sharma
This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.
