Quantitative estimates of Holocene glacier meltwater variations on the Western Tibetan Plateau

Knowledge of the alpine glacier meltwater variations is fundamental prerequisite for understanding glacierdynamics and assessing the availability of freshwater resources. Glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) aresources of water for most major Asian rivers, but their melting history remains unclear, preventing indepthunderstanding of their mechanisms. Here, we propose the authigenic carbonate oxygen isotope fromglacial lakes as a quantitative proxy to estimate variations of glacier meltwater. In the Western KunlunMountain, oxygen isotope record at Guozha Co indicates that maximum glacier meltwater (−۲۸.۶۲±۲۵.۷۶Gt) occurred at ۹.۵–۸.۵ka BP, and minimum glacier meltwater (۲۴.۵۳ ±۲۵.۰۲Gt) at ۱.۳–۰.۵ka BP.Nearly ۲۰% of regional glaciers melted from the Early to Late Holocene, likely controlled by the summertemperature and accumulation of melting potential estimated by positive degree-day. Based on theprojected temperature, this study suggests the TP glaciers likely face severe threats at the current rates ofglobal warming.