青藏高原(格尔木-亚东)冰缘现象及其气候意义

冰缘地貌与沉积是冰冻圈环境变化的载体,对其开展深入研究对了解青藏高原地表过程与过去气候变化,具有重要意义。基于青藏高原(格尔木-亚东)冰缘地貌和沉积野外记录和实验分析,获得以下认识:格尔木在LGM时多年冻土至少下限到达海拔2 900m,年均气温降至<-4℃,比现在至少低9℃,气候寒冷干燥;冰消期和全新世存在极端干冷的气候事件,可能存在地面温度<-10℃的冬季迅速降温气候期。楚玛尔、那曲谷露和纳木错的冰楔假型分别记录了末次冰期冷期多年冻土扩张,亚东古砂楔记录了早全新世冷事件。西藏羊八井泥炭沉积剖面孢粉和测年揭示,该区自新仙女木事件以来经历了严寒(12.8～9.8ka)、暖湿(9.8～5.0ka)、干冷(5.0ka至今)的气候阶段。青藏高原(格尔木-亚东)广泛发育的冻融褶皱、成层坡积、风沙沉积等,是古环境重建的重要佐证,具有刻画冷暖-干湿的意义。     

川北若尔盖高原红原泥炭剖面孢粉记录的晚冰期以来古气候古环境的演变

利用14C测年及孢粉分析方法对位于若尔盖高原的红原泥炭剖面进行了系统研究,重建了若尔盖地区晚冰期以来古环境的演化历史,并识别在此期间发生的主要气候事件.结果表明:该区晚冰期的气候特点为冷偏干或凉偏干,冷暖波动频繁.其中,14.1～13.4、12.4～12.0和10.5～10.0 kaBP之间的冷阶段分别对应于Oldest Dryas、Older Dryas及Younger Dryas事件;发生于12.6～12.4和12.0～10.5kaBP左右的暖阶段分别对应于Bolling及Allerod暖期.Younger Dryas事件之后,气候总体以温湿为主要特征,8.9～8.7和6.1～5.8kaBP之间的明显降温为全新世期间的2次冷事件.孢粉记录所反映的若尔盖地区晚冰期以来的气候演化与全球气候变化具有较好的可比性.     

Late Quaternary glaciation in the Nun‐Kun massif,northwestern India

The late Quaternary glacial history of the Nun‐Kun massif, located on the boundary between the Greater Himalaya and the Zanskar range in northwestern India, was reconstructed. On the basis of morphostratigraphy and ¹⁰Be dating of glacial landforms (moraines and glacial trimlines), five glacial stages were recognized and defined, namely: (i) the Achambur glacial stage dated to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 to 4 (38.7–62.7 ka); (ii) the Tongul glacial stage dated to the early part of the Lateglacial (16.7–17.4 ka); (iii) the Amantick glacial stage dated to the later part of the Lateglacial (14.3 ka, 11.7–12.4 ka); (iv) the Lomp glacial stage dated to the Little Ice Age; and (v) the Tanak glacial stage, which has the youngest moraines, probably dating to the last few decades or so. Present and former equilibrium‐line altitudes (ELAs) were calculated using the standard area accumulation ratio method. The average present‐day ELA of ～4790 m above sea level in the Greater Himalaya is lower than those in the Ladakh and Zanskar ranges, namely 5380 and ～5900 m a.s.l., respectively. The ELA in the Zanskar range is higher than in the Ladakh range, possibly due to the higher peaks in the Ladakh range that are able to more effectively capture and store snow and ice. ELA depressions decrease towards the Ladakh range (i.e. inner Plateau). Peat beds interbedded with aeolian deposits that cap the terminal moraine of Tarangoz Glacier suggest millennial‐time‐scale climate change throughout the Holocene, with soil formation times at c. 1.5, c. 3.4 and c. 5.2 ka, probably coinciding with Holocene abrupt climate change events. Given the style and timing of glaciation in the study area, it is likely that climate in the Nun‐Kun region is linked to Northern Hemisphere climate oscillations with teleconnections via the mid‐latitude westerlies.     

Postglacial climates inferred from a lake at treeline,southwest Yukon Territory,Canada

Pollen, chironomid, and ostracode records from a lake located at alpine treeline provide regional paleoclimate reconstructions from the southwest Yukon Territory, Canada. The pollen spectra indicate herbaceous tundra existed on the landscape from 13.6–11 ka followed by birch shrub tundra until 10 ka. Although Picea pollen dominated the assemblages after 10 ka, low pollen accumulation rates and Picea percentages indicate minimal treeline movement through the Holocene. Chironomid accumulation rates provide evidence of millennial-scale climate variability, and the chironomid community responded to rapid climate changes. Ostracodes were found in the late glacial and early Holocene, but disappeared due to chemical changes of the lake associated with changes in vegetation on the landscape. Inferred mean July air temperature, total annual precipitation, and water depth indicate a long-term cooling with increasing moisture from the late glacial through the Holocene. During the Younger Dryas (12.9–11.2 ka), cold and dry conditions prevailed. The early and mid-Holocene were warm and dry, with cool, wet conditions after 4 ka, and warm, dry conditions since the end of the Little Ice Age.     

First cosmic ray exposure dating (in situ produced 10Be) of the late pleistocene and holocene glaciation in the Nanhutashan Mountains (Taiwan)

In Taiwan, efficient climate‐driven strong erosion processes are the leading cause for low preservation of geomorphic landforms. Despite the absence of present‐day glaciers, glacial relicts have been reported in high altitude areas. These scarce landforms provide opportunities for reconstructing the timing of the last deglaciation in a region where glacial history is poorly documented. We have collected boulders and striated bedrocks in the Nanhutashan area and calculated surface exposure ages based on in‐situ produced ¹⁰Be concentrations. The oldest glacial remains, dated at 11.1 ± 3.3 ka, correspond to the last glacial advance. The Holocene is characterized by a continuous retreat of the ice‐cap until at least 7.2 ± 1.0 ka. Our results are in agreement with a scenario where changes of monsoon regimes lead to a strong reduction of the winter monsoon during the early Holocene, causing a decrease of snow supply and disequilibrium of the hydrological budget.     

孢粉资料定量重建泥河湾盆地侯家窑遗址时期的古气候

泥河湾盆地侯家窑遗址在中国旧石器文化及古人类演化进程中占有十分重要的地位, 但前人研究多集中在古人类及哺乳动物化石及其地层年代方面, 对古人类生存时的古气候、古环境研究较少, 更未见定量研究。本文利用最终筛选后的420个表土和83个地层样品的孢粉数据, 采用MAT(modern analogue technique)方法定量重建了泥河湾盆地侯家窑遗址220~85ka B.P. 的年均温和年均降水序列。依据孢粉定量重建的气候变化序列与大西洋-太平洋深海氧同位素和南极冰芯记录的MIS 5、MIS 6和MIS 7阶段有较好对应。冰期时, 泥河湾盆地的年平均气温比现在低2~4℃, 年均降水量比现在多200~400mm; 间冰期时, 年均气温比现在高约1℃, 或与现在相近, 年均降水量也与现在相近。冰期时, 泥河湾盆地的古气候相对稳定, 间冰期时波动频繁。侯家窑古人类生活在大理冰期(MIS 6阶段), 气候寒冷湿润, 丰富的动植物资源成为侯家窑人的主要食物来源, 侯家窑人已学会适应和抵御严寒的气候环境。     

Carbon and Oxygen Stable Isotope Values and Microfossils at 41.4–4.5 ka BP in Tai Co, Tibet, China, and Their Paleoclimatic Significance

Two sedimentary sections were measured at Tai Co (Co means lake in Tibetan) in western Tibet, China. The two sections are almost all composed of clay carbonate beds except in their lower parts where there are carbonized plants at >10 cm depths and dark-colored carbonate clay and clay at 50–70 cm depths, yielding abundant gastropods, ostracods, and charophytes. The carbon and oxygen stable isotope values of carbonate, ostracods, and charophytes and ecological features of microfossil communities indicate the following climatic change in the area from 41.4 to 4.5 ka BP: at 41.4–26.2 ka BP, the climate was relatively wet; at 26.2–25.5 ka BP, it was slightly warm-dry; at 25.5–22.5 ka BP, it was warm-wet; at 22.5–21.0 ka BP, it was slightly cold-wet; at 20.5–17.5 ka BP, it became cold abruptly and slightly wet, implying the climate of the last glacial maximum; at 17.5–16.0 ka BP, it was slightly cold-dry; at 16.0–11.8 ka BP, it was slightly warm-wet; at 11.8–10.4 ka BP, it was relatively cold-dry, roughly equivalent to the climate of the Younger Dryas, and at 10.4 ka BP, the temperatures began to rise again; at 10.4–9.4 ka BP, it was slightly warm-wet; at 9.4–8.5 ka BP, there occurred short warm-wet oscillations; at 8.5–7.9 ka BP, it was slightly dry-cold, representing a strong temperature-lowering and drying event in the postglacial stage; at 7.8–6.3 ka BP, it was slightly warm-wet; at 6.3–4.5 ka BP, the climate tended to be cold-dry. 4.5 ka BP recorded the maximum aridity since the late part of the late Pleistocene.     

青藏高原腹地湖泊沉积纪录的“仙女木期”古气候颤动事件

通过对青藏高原腹地钻孔岩心剖面的最新研究,用层序地层学与年代地层学和气候地层学相结合的方法,分辨出可可西里地区苟弄措湖泊沉积记录(孔深7.25 m)约30 ka BP以来的古气候变化,并在孔深3.32～1.98 m处识别出“仙女本期”的3个气候颤动事件,即:①老仙女术事件(孔深3.32～2.62 m);②中仙女本事件(孔深2.62～2.43 m);③新仙女本事件(孔深2.43～1.98 m)。这3个气候颤动事件都是以冷干时段开始、以冷湿时段结束的,并有越向后期其冷干的时段越长的变化趋势,而其后的冷湿时段却具有等时的变化趋势。岩心沉积物的有机碳、有机氮和磁化率以及化学元素含量的变化,都与仙女本期气候变化具有十分吻合的变化态势。仙女术期气候在湖泊沉积物中的响应,在青藏高原环境演化中还是首次发现,为研究第四纪末次冰期冰消期以来的气候变化提供了新的信息。     

16ka以来青海湖湖相自生碳酸盐沉积记录的古气候

研究了青海湖沉积物碳酸盐的组成、来源及其同湖水物理化学性质的关系,建立了文石饱和指数同温度和湖水Mg/Ca比值（可指示盐度）的关系,利用碳酸盐的组成探讨了青海湖16ka B.P.以来的古气候环境演化过程。结果表明,青海湖沉积碳酸盐大都是自生的,16ka B.P.以来沉积碳酸盐以文石为主。文石的高含量时段同暖湿气候相对应,低含量则同冷干气候相对应。15.2ka B.P.为末次冰期盛冰阶进入晚冰期的界限,晚冰期气候的冷暖波动频繁,幅度较小,13.4-13ka B.P.,11.6-12ka B.P.和11-10.4ka B.P.之间的冷颤动分别相当于老仙女木、中仙女木和新仙女木事件,12－13ka B.P.和11.6-11ka B.P.之间的暖期则分别对应于博令和阿勒罗得暖期。全新世初期（10.4-10ka B.P.)白云石含量的突然增高和文石的消失,可能同淡水快速补给前期盐度较高的湖水有关,反映了全新世开始时气温和降水的增加具有突变性的特点。全新世大暖期的鼎盛期,即6.7ka B.P.左右时湖水的盐度较低。6.7-4ka B.P.为气候转型过程中的冷暖和干湿的快速波动期。4ka B.P.以后碳酸盐含量急剧降低,气候逐步向冷干化方向发展。     

Lateglacial and early Holocene dynamics of adjacent valley glaciers in the Western Swiss Alps

The Alps play a pivotal role for glacier and climate reconstructions within Europe. Detailed glacial chronologies provide important insights into mechanisms of glaciation and climate change. We present 26 ¹⁰Be exposure dates of glacially transported boulders situated on moraines and ice‐moulded bedrock samples at the Belalp cirque and the Great Aletsch valley, Switzerland. Weighted mean ages of ～10.9, 11.1, 11.0 and 9.6 ka for the Belalp, on up to six individual moraine ridges, constrain these moraines to the Egesen, Kartell and Schams stadials during Lateglacial to early Holocene times. The weighted mean age of ～12.5 ka for the right‐lateral moraine of the Great Aletsch correlates with the Egesen stadial related to the Younger Dryas cooling. These data indicate that during the early Holocene between ～11.7 and ～9.2 ka, glaciers in the Swiss Alps seem to have been significantly affected by cold climatic conditions initiated during the Younger Dryas and the Preboreal Oscillation. These conditions resulted in glacier margin oscillations relating to climatic fluctuations during the second phase of the Younger Dryas – and continuing into Boreal times – as supported by correlation of the innermost moraine of the Belalp Cirque to the Schams (early) Holocene stage. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Extent, timing, and climatic implications of glacier advances Mount Rainier, Washington, U.S.A., at the pleistocene/holocene transition

The North Atlantic Younger Dryas climatic reversal did not cause a glacier advance on Mount Rainier. The glaciers on Mount Rainier seem to have advanced in response to regional or local shifts in climate. However, the Younger Dryas climatic reversal may have affected the Mount Rainier area, causing a cold, but dry, climate unfavorable to glacier advances. Glaciers in the vicinity of Mount Rainier advanced twice during late glacial/early Holocene time. Radiocarbon dates obtained from lake sediments adjacent to the corresponding moraines are concordant, indicating that the ages for the advances are closely limiting. The first advance occurred before 11,300 ¹⁴C yr BP (13,200 cal yr BP). During the North Atlantic Younger Dryas event, between 11,000 and 10,000 ¹⁴C yr BP (12,900 and 11,600 cal yr BP), glaciers retreated on Mount Rainier, probably due to a lack of available moisture, but conditions may have remained cold. The onset of warmer conditions on Mount Rainier occurred around 10,000 ¹⁴C yr BP (11,600 cal yr BP). Organic sedimentation lasted for at least 700 years before glaciers readvanced between 9800 and 8950 ¹⁴C yr BP (10,900 and 9950 cal yr BP).     

川滇块体东北缘晚第四纪区域气候-地貌分析及其构造地貌年代学意义

地貌年代是新构造特别是活动构造定量研究的瓶颈问题。通过对川滇块体北东边界构造带所在的区域气候变化过程和地貌研究成果的综合分析,利用众多的年代学数据,从区域尺度对地貌的年代、形态和物质组成等特征对比分析,探讨了该区冰川地貌、河流阶地和冲洪积扇的演化特征,揭示了区域气候变化与区域性地貌演化存在的内在对应关系。气候变化产生的气温、湿度、降水量等变化控制了该区冰川地貌和流水地貌的演化。区域内冰川地貌主要是末次冰期的产物,对应于末次冰期两个冰阶,河流作用在7～10ka和1～5ka两个阶段改造末次冰期堆积地貌形成相应的侵蚀地貌。主要河流阶地发育对应于降水量剧烈变化的气候过程,其中形成三级阶地面的流水下切作用最强,随后堆积的深厚物质是二级阶地的主体,并一直没有被后期流水下切作用蚀穿,与气候变化的强度等特点对应。区内冲洪积扇主要有3个堆积时期,即3～5ka,7～10ka和20～25ka,主要发育在气候变化最剧烈的时期,大量的碎屑物形成并短距离搬运堆积。将区域分析综合的结果应运到康定南团结乡附近的地貌分析,可以很好的理解该区的地貌演化,用侵蚀改造的地貌演化结论否认了以前的堆积地貌认识,理清了地貌发育的年龄序列。综合分析与应用的结果表明,区域气候-地貌-构造系统研究对于活动构造年代学具有非常重要的意义。     

江汉平原东北缘末次冰消期沉积物粒度特征及环境意义

麻城剖面位于江汉平原东北缘山地丘陵与平原过渡带半封闭的宽浅碟形洼地,是江汉平原北缘末次冰消期代表性沉积剖面.沉积环境主要由山麓坡洪积相和沼泽相组成,形成年代为距今18.00～8.60 ka.麻城剖面粒度组成主要以粉砂为主,达60.73％,其中,粗粉砂达40.83％.剖面粒度变化可划分为7个变化阶段.结合剖面的岩性与沉积...     

The Campo Felice late Pleistocene Glaciation (Apennines,central Italy)

Study of the glacial deposits and lacustrine sediments of Campo Felice (Apennines, central Italy) has enabled the glacial phases of the last 40 ka to be dated more precisely, and has demonstrated that the maximum glacial advance did not occur in correspondence with the last global glacial maximum and with the coldest and most arid phase suggested by the pollen, but in a period dated between about 33 and 27 ka, characterized by a less extreme climate. Furthermore, a glacial expansion took place also in the period prior to 35 ka. Correlation with the Alpine glacial variations has shown that the Apennine last glacial maximum occurred before that of the southern slope of the Alps. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

兴凯湖沉积物有机碳和氮及其稳定同位素反映的28kaBP以来区域古气候环境变化

兴凯湖是东北亚最大的淡水湖,也是中俄界湖。我们是国内首次对兴凯湖一根长269 cm的沉积岩心进行了研究,结果显示:δ13Corg和TOC之间显示较好的负相关性,说明δ13Corg低值时期,气候温暖或湿润,δ13Corg值处于高值时期,气候冷干;C/N比值和TOC之间显示较好的正相关性,C/N比值平均值为11.4,显示兴凯湖沉积物有机质以内源浮游植物生产为主;δ15Norg高值对应于气候冷干期,此时沉积物有机质更多的来源于浮游植物,δ15Norg低值对应于暖湿期,但营养盐输入的减少也会造成δ15Norg值降低。兴凯湖沉积物有机碳和氮及其稳定同位素数据综合分析结果表明:28 480～26 160 cal.aBP,湖区气候冷干;26 160～22 880 cal.aBP,湖区气候温暖湿润;22 880～18 180 cal.aBP,流域处于末次盛冰期多年冻土环境;18 185～12 650 cal.aBP,对应于Blling/Older Dryas/Allerd气候波动暖期;90～78 cm段,对应于Younger Dryas事件;11 500～4 570 cal.aBP,进入全新世暖湿期,早期气候温干,晚期气候温湿;4 570～1 470 cal.aBP,气候冷干;1470 cal.aBP以来,又转为暖湿气候。     

德令哈盆地尕海湖DG03孔岩芯矿物组合与古环境变化

对气候敏感区德令哈盆地尕海湖DG03孔岩芯的矿物学分析表明,DG03孔岩芯的矿物主要包括石英、斜长石、微斜长石、绿泥石、伊利石、方解石、文石、白云石、石膏及石盐等。岩芯记录了尕海湖约11 ka以来（AMS 14C年龄）的古环境变化。根据矿物、碳酸盐含量及岩性的变化,整个岩芯可划分为三个部分:Ⅰ. 约11 ka～10 ka BP,晚冰期末期;Ⅱ. 10 ka～4 ka BP,全新世早中期;Ⅲ.4 ka至今,全新世晚期。矿物组合表明,自晚冰期以来,尕海湖先后经历了湖泊演化的逆向和正向演化阶段,即尕海湖先后经历了晚冰期的干冷气候,早全新世的暖干气候,中全新世的暖湿气候以及晚全新世以来的逐渐干冷的气候。岩性分析还表明,尕海湖沉积环境复杂,存在多种微相沉积。     

Sedimentary Characteristics and Paleoenvironmental Records of Zabuye Salt Lake, Tibetan Plateau, since 128 ka BP

This paper for the first time reveals high-resolution core records of Zabuye Salt Lake in the interior of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. According to 1346 samples taken continuously, relatively accurate 14^C, U-series disequilibrium and ESR ages have been obtained, thus revealing that the lake core ages from 0 to 83.63 m of hole SZK02 are -800 to over 128 ka. In the paper, the lake core sedimentary characteristics （including the lithologies and mineral assemblages） are analyzed in detail and correlated with ostracod assemblages I to XX and sporopollen zones A to I, and on the basis of an integrated analysis of the δ^18O values of authigenic calcium-magnesium carbonate and environmental proxies of minerals, sporopollen and microfossils in the lake core, a correlation has been made of oxygen isotope change between this lake core and the Greenland GISP2 and GRIP and Guliya ice cores, and the climate of Zabuye Salt Lake since 128 ka BP is divided into the last interglacial stage （including substages e, d, c, b and a） of oxygen isotope stage （OIS） 5, early glacial stadial of the last glacial stage of OIS 4, interglacial stadial of the last glacial stage of OIS 3, late glacial stadial of the last glacial stage or Last Glacial Maximum of OIS 2 and postglacial state of OIS 1; in addition, 6 Heinrich （H6-H1） events, Younger Dryas event and 8.2 ka BP cold event have been recognized.     

青藏高原东北部共和盆地风成沉积地球化学特征及其揭示的气候变化

通过对共和盆地东部风成沉积的地球化学分析,并结合14C和OSL年代,重建了区域末次盛冰期以来气候变化过程。21 ka BP之前气候寒冷偏湿,21～15.82 ka BP为末次盛冰期(LastGlacial Maximum,LGM),气候极为寒冷干燥;15.82～9.5 ka BP气候转暖且偏干,其中14.5～13.6ka BP和11.9～9.5 ka BP气候明显冷干,分别为老仙女木时期(Oldest Dryas,OD)和新仙女木时期(Younger Dryas,YD),而15.82～14.5 ka BP和13.6～11.9 ka BP(BФlling-AllerФd暖期,B/A)相对温暖;9.5～7.2 ka BP暖湿程度明显提高,7.2～5.1 ka BP气候波动频繁,相对冷干和相对暖湿多次更替。5.1～2.7 ka BP暖湿程度基本稳定,之后气候趋于寒冷但湿度明显较大。这些气候变化过程与青藏高原大量的古气候信息记录具有良好的一致性,表明共和盆地气候变化与青藏高原气候变化的高度一致性。     

Late Quaternary glaciation in the Tianshan and implications for palaeoclimatic change: a review

Xu, X., Kleidon, A., Miller, L., Wang, S., Wang, L. & Dong, G. 2009: Late Quaternary glaciation in the Tianshan and implications for palaeoclimatic change: a review. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00118.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. The Tianshan mountain range has been extensively and repeatedly glaciated during the late Quaternary. Multiple moraines in this region record the extent and timing of late Quaternary glacier fluctuations. The moraines and their ages are described in three sub‐regions: eastern, central and western Tianshan. Notable glacial advances occurred during marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) 6, 4, 3, 2, the Neoglacial and the Little Ice Age (LIA) in these sub‐regions. Glaciers in western Tianshan advanced significantly also during MIS 5, but not in eastern and central Tianshan. The local last glacial maximum (llgm) of the three sub‐regions pre‐dated the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and occurred during MIS 4 in eastern and central Tianshan, but during MIS 3 in western Tianshan. The spatial and temporal distribution of the glaciers suggests that precipitation (as snow at high altitude) is the main factor controlling glacial advance in the Tianshan. The late Quaternary climate in the Tianshan has been generally cold–dry during glacial times and warm–humid during interglacial times. Between neighbouring glacial times, the climate has had a more arid tendency in eastern and central Tianshan. These palaeoclimatic conditions inferred from glacial landforms indicate important relationships between the mid‐latitude westerly, the Siberian High and the Asian monsoon.     

Quaternary glaciation of Mount Everest

The Quaternary glacial history of the Rongbuk valley on the northern slopes of Mount Everest is examined using field mapping, geomorphic and sedimentological methods, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and ¹⁰Be terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) dating. Six major sets of moraines are present representing significant glacier advances or still-stands. These date to >330 ka (Tingri moraine), >41 ka (Dzakar moraine), 24–27 ka (Jilong moraine), 14–17 ka (Rongbuk moraine), 8–2 ka (Samdupo moraines) and ～1.6 ka (Xarlungnama moraine), and each is assigned to a distinct glacial stage named after the moraine. The Samdupo glacial stage is subdivided into Samdupo I (6.8–7.7 ka) and Samdupo II (～2.4 ka). Comparison with OSL and TCN defined ages on moraines on the southern slopes of Mount Everest in the Khumbu Himal show that glaciations across the Everest massif were broadly synchronous. However, unlike the Khumbu Himal, no early Holocene glacier advance is recognized in the Rongbuk valley. This suggests that the Khumbu Himal may have received increased monsoon precipitation in the early Holocene to help increase positive glacier mass balances, while the Rongbuk valley was too sheltered to receive monsoon moisture during this time and glaciers could not advance. Comparison of equilibrium-line altitude depressions for glacial stages across Mount Everest reveals asymmetric patterns of glacier retreat that likely reflects greater glacier sensitivity to climate change on the northern slopes, possibly due to precipitation starvation.