The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range
Glacier highstands since the Last Glacial Maximum are well documented for many regions, but little is known about glacier fluctuations and lowstands during the Holocene. This is because the traces of minimum extents are difficult to identify and at many places are still ice covered, limiting the acc...
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Online Access: | https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/1/Herren%20et%20al%20JQSR-S-12-00508.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/8/1-s2.0-S0277379113001029-main.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/ |
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ftunivbern:oai:boris.unibe.ch:46229 2023-08-20T04:07:10+02:00 The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range Herren, Pierre-Alain Eichler, Anja Machguth, Horst Papina, Tatyana Tobler, Leonhard Zapf, Alexander Schwikowski, Margit 2013 application/pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/1/Herren%20et%20al%20JQSR-S-12-00508.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/8/1-s2.0-S0277379113001029-main.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/ eng eng Pergamon https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Herren, Pierre-Alain; Eichler, Anja; Machguth, Horst; Papina, Tatyana; Tobler, Leonhard; Zapf, Alexander; Schwikowski, Margit (2013). The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range. Quaternary Science Reviews, 69, pp. 59-68. Pergamon 10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.02.025 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.02.025> 570 Life sciences biology 540 Chemistry info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion PeerReviewed 2013 ftunivbern https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.02.025 2023-07-31T21:05:08Z Glacier highstands since the Last Glacial Maximum are well documented for many regions, but little is known about glacier fluctuations and lowstands during the Holocene. This is because the traces of minimum extents are difficult to identify and at many places are still ice covered, limiting the access to sample material. Here we report a new approach to assess minimal glacier extent, using a 72-m long surface-to-bedrock ice core drilled on Khukh Nuru Uul, a glacier in the Tsambagarav mountain range of the Mongolian Altai (4130 m asl, 48°39.338′N, 90°50.826′E). The small ice cap has low ice temperatures and flat bedrock topography at the drill site. This indicates minimal lateral glacier flow and thereby preserved climate signals. The upper two-thirds of the ice core contain 200 years of climate information with annual resolution, whereas the lower third is subject to strong thinning of the annual layers with a basal ice age of approximately 6000 years before present (BP). We interpret the basal ice age as indicative of ice-free conditions in the Tsambagarav mountain range at 4100 m asl prior to 6000 years BP. This age marks the onset of the Neoglaciation and the end of the Holocene Climate Optimum. The ice-free conditions allow for adjusting the Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) and derive the glacier extent in the Mongolian Altai during the Holocene Climate Optimum. Based on the ELA-shift, we conclude that most of the glaciers are not remnants of the Last Glacial Maximum but were formed during the second part of the Holocene. The ice core derived accumulation reconstruction suggests important changes in the precipitation pattern over the last 6000 years. During formation of the glacier, more humid conditions than presently prevailed followed by a long dry period from 5000 years BP until 250 years ago. Present conditions are more humid than during the past millennia. This is consistent with precipitation evolution derived from lake sediment studies in the Altai. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice cap ice core BORIS (Bern Open Repository and Information System, University of Bern) Ela ENVELOPE(9.642,9.642,63.170,63.170) Quaternary Science Reviews 69 59 68 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
BORIS (Bern Open Repository and Information System, University of Bern) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivbern |
language |
English |
topic |
570 Life sciences biology 540 Chemistry |
spellingShingle |
570 Life sciences biology 540 Chemistry Herren, Pierre-Alain Eichler, Anja Machguth, Horst Papina, Tatyana Tobler, Leonhard Zapf, Alexander Schwikowski, Margit The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range |
topic_facet |
570 Life sciences biology 540 Chemistry |
description |
Glacier highstands since the Last Glacial Maximum are well documented for many regions, but little is known about glacier fluctuations and lowstands during the Holocene. This is because the traces of minimum extents are difficult to identify and at many places are still ice covered, limiting the access to sample material. Here we report a new approach to assess minimal glacier extent, using a 72-m long surface-to-bedrock ice core drilled on Khukh Nuru Uul, a glacier in the Tsambagarav mountain range of the Mongolian Altai (4130 m asl, 48°39.338′N, 90°50.826′E). The small ice cap has low ice temperatures and flat bedrock topography at the drill site. This indicates minimal lateral glacier flow and thereby preserved climate signals. The upper two-thirds of the ice core contain 200 years of climate information with annual resolution, whereas the lower third is subject to strong thinning of the annual layers with a basal ice age of approximately 6000 years before present (BP). We interpret the basal ice age as indicative of ice-free conditions in the Tsambagarav mountain range at 4100 m asl prior to 6000 years BP. This age marks the onset of the Neoglaciation and the end of the Holocene Climate Optimum. The ice-free conditions allow for adjusting the Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) and derive the glacier extent in the Mongolian Altai during the Holocene Climate Optimum. Based on the ELA-shift, we conclude that most of the glaciers are not remnants of the Last Glacial Maximum but were formed during the second part of the Holocene. The ice core derived accumulation reconstruction suggests important changes in the precipitation pattern over the last 6000 years. During formation of the glacier, more humid conditions than presently prevailed followed by a long dry period from 5000 years BP until 250 years ago. Present conditions are more humid than during the past millennia. This is consistent with precipitation evolution derived from lake sediment studies in the Altai. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Herren, Pierre-Alain Eichler, Anja Machguth, Horst Papina, Tatyana Tobler, Leonhard Zapf, Alexander Schwikowski, Margit |
author_facet |
Herren, Pierre-Alain Eichler, Anja Machguth, Horst Papina, Tatyana Tobler, Leonhard Zapf, Alexander Schwikowski, Margit |
author_sort |
Herren, Pierre-Alain |
title |
The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range |
title_short |
The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range |
title_full |
The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range |
title_fullStr |
The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range |
title_full_unstemmed |
The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range |
title_sort |
onset of neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western mongolia revealed by an ice core from the tsambagarav mountain range |
publisher |
Pergamon |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/1/Herren%20et%20al%20JQSR-S-12-00508.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/8/1-s2.0-S0277379113001029-main.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/ |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(9.642,9.642,63.170,63.170) |
geographic |
Ela |
geographic_facet |
Ela |
genre |
Ice cap ice core |
genre_facet |
Ice cap ice core |
op_source |
Herren, Pierre-Alain; Eichler, Anja; Machguth, Horst; Papina, Tatyana; Tobler, Leonhard; Zapf, Alexander; Schwikowski, Margit (2013). The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range. Quaternary Science Reviews, 69, pp. 59-68. Pergamon 10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.02.025 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.02.025> |
op_relation |
https://boris.unibe.ch/46229/ |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.02.025 |
container_title |
Quaternary Science Reviews |
container_volume |
69 |
container_start_page |
59 |
op_container_end_page |
68 |
_version_ |
1774718630292881408 |