| Research article |
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| Asymmetric glacier sensitivity to the Last Glacial Maximum paleoclimate in the monsoon-westerlies transition zone, southern Xizang Plateau, China |
YU Yue1, LIU Chang2, LIU Liang1,*( ), Jonathan M HARBOR3, HAN Shuting1, ZHANG Hongjie4, WU Yuhua5 |
1 School of Geography, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China
2 Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
3 Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette 47907, USA
4 College of Tourism and Resource Environment, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang 277160, China
5 Shen Kan Engineering & Technology Corporation, Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC), Shenyang 110169, China |
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Abstract The southern Xizang Plateau, China, lies within the transition zone between the Asian summer monsoon and mid-latitude westerlies, where complex climate interactions drove extensive paleoglaciation during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, quantitative paleoclimatic constraints remain limited in this area. To address this gap, we compared two valleys that were glaciated during the LGM, the Pengnongcuo Valley on Mount Jiare in the eastern Gangdisê Mountains and the Shiduchong Valley on Mount Pamana in the central Himalaya Mountains. Using a two-dimensional numerical model constrained by Google Earth imagery and digital elevation model (DEM) data, we reconstructed paleoglacier geometries in the two valleys to constrain equilibrium line altitude (ELA) changes and to infer paleoclimatic conditions during the LGM. Precipitation-temperature (PT) and lapse-rate (LR) models were used to reconstruct paleoclimatic conditions during the LGM. The Pengnongcuo Valley had a maximum LGM ice thickness of 194 m, covered an area of 12.2 km2 with a volume of 0.94 km3, and had an ELA depression of 331 m; the Shiduchong Valley had a maximum ice thickness of 234 m with an area of 14.1 km2, a volume of 1.34 km3, and an ELA depression of 559 m. Despite having nearly identical modern ELAs (5819 m and 5835 m a.s.l. for Pengnongcuo Valley and Shiduchong Valley, respectively), the two glaciers exhibited dramatically different responses during the LGM. By constraining paleo precipitation to 60.0%-80.0% and 63.0%-79.0% of modern values, respectively, based on regional proxies and distinct moisture sources, reconstructed summer temperature depressions were 2.0°C-3.3°C and 3.4°C-4.7°C respectively. Glacial expansion during the LGM in the monsoon-westerlies transition zone of the southern Xizang Plateau resulted from the combined effects of a regional temperature depression, enhanced fluctuations in moisture supply from the Asian summer monsoon, and intensified mid-latitude westerly circulation, which enhanced cold-season precipitation. This study provides quantitative constraints on the LGM glacier-climate interactions in the monsoon-westerlies transition zone and highlights the critical role of coupled temperature and moisture forcing in shaping paleoglacial evolution on the southern Xizang Plateau.
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Received: 23 March 2026
Published: 30 November 2026
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Corresponding Authors:
*LIU Liang (E-mail: liuliangdm@126.com)
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About author: The first and second authors contributed equally to this work.
Author contributions
Conceptualization: LIU Liang, YU Yue; Methodology: LIU Chang, LIU Liang, HAN Shuting, ZHANG Hongjie; Formal analysis: LIU Liang, YU Yue; Writing - original draft preparation: LIU Chang, YU Yue, LIU Liang, HAN Shuting; Writing - review and editing: LIU Chang, LIU Liang, Jonathan M HARBOR; Funding acquisition: LIU Liang; Resources: LIU Liang; Supervision: LIU Liang, WU Yuhua. All authors approved the manuscript.
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| Cite this article:
YU Yue, LIU Chang, LIU Liang, Jonathan M HARBOR, HAN Shuting, ZHANG Hongjie, WU Yuhua. Asymmetric glacier sensitivity to the Last Glacial Maximum paleoclimate in the monsoon-westerlies transition zone, southern Xizang Plateau, China. Journal of Arid Land, 2026, 18(11): 1851-1869.
URL:
http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1016/j.jaridl.2026.11.001 OR http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2026/V18/I11/1851
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