Relict proglacial lake of Spituk (Leh), northwest (NW) Himalaya: A repository of hydrological changes during Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS)-2

In the northwestern Himalaya (Ladakh and Karakoram), the spatial and temporal changes in the late Quaternary glaciation were modulated by a combination of two contrasting moisture sources (viz., the Indian Summer Monsoon and the mid-latitude westerlies). The inferences about their relative contribution to glacier expansion are based on the ages obtained on moraines. Since the moraines suffer from poor preservation and chronological uncertainty, the present study, therefore, resorted to a near-continuous relict proglacial lake succession in order to reconstruct the continuous pattern of glacier fluctuations during Marine Isotopic Stage-2 (MIS-2). Since the AMS radiocarbon ages (both organic and inorganic matter) suffered from various complexities such as dead carbon contribution and hard water effect, the paleohydrological inferences in this study were drawn primarily based on optical ages (along with sedimentological and geochemical analysis). The proglacial lake sedimentation was modulated by the temporal changes in meltwater discharge. This is attributed to the waning and waxing of proximal valley glaciers. Evidence accrued from the lake sediment supported by the published moraine chronology suggests that valley glaciers expanded during the onset of MIS-2 and persisted until around the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The beginning of MIS-2 is marked by the onset of cooling (similar to 30 ka), which led to a marginal advance in the glaciers. Additionally, early MIS-2 was characterised by millennial-scale climatic fluctuations. For example, a short-lived increase in humidity was observed between 30.2 ka and 29.3 ka, followed by a reversal towards a drier climate between 29.3 ka and 28.1 ka. During the early part of MIS-2, glaciers were driven by the decrease in temperature, whereas the enhanced moisture contribution during mid MIS-2 was responsible for extensive glacier growth. We hypothesise that the enhanced moisture was contributed by the mid-latitude westerlies, with subordinate contribution from the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). This we attribute to the southward positioning of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) during MIS-2.

Automated summary

This study reconstructs the glacier fluctuations in the northwestern Himalaya using a relict proglacial lake succession, finding that valley glaciers expanded during MIS-2 and persisted until the Last Glacial Maximum. The early part of MIS-2 was driven by temperature decrease, while extensive glacier growth in mid MIS-2 was mainly contributed by enhanced moisture.