Exploring regional variability in the timing of Quaternary glaciation in the monsoon-influenced Himalaya

Project description
Motivation:
Glaciers advance and recede in response to climate change and record these changes by building distinctive sedimentary landforms including moraines. Geochronological data that describe the ages of moraines can be used to reconstruct the timing of past glaciation and palaeoclimate conditions, such as the termination of the Last Glacial Maximum (Mackintosh et al., 2017). Moraine ages indicate the regional timing of glacier changes and reflect both variability in local climate conditions and the dynamic response of glaciers to climate change (Denton et al., 2021). In the Central and Eastern Himalaya, glacier change is influenced by variability of the Indian Summer Monsoon and by investigating the timing and style of Late Quaternary glaciation in this region we can discover how the monsoon has varied in the past and the dynamic response of Himalayan glaciers to climate change (Hornsey et al., 2022).

This project will combine analysis of the informal cosmogenic-nuclide exposure-age database (ICE-D; Balco, 2020) with GIS-based mapping of moraine sequences across the monsoon-influenced Himalaya. ICE-D is an innovative open access resource that recognises the value of analyses of large datasets in Earth Science and promotes transparency in using geochronological data from 100s of published studies. The student will update and analyse the regional database of moraine ages for the Central and Eastern Himalaya to investigate spatial variability in the timing of glacier change indicated by moraines.

Research questions:

1. When are moraine sequences a good record of paleoclimate change, and what are the geomorphological uncertainties associated with moraine exposure-age geochronologies?
2. How important are glacier dynamics rather than mass balance forcing in forming moraine sequences?
3. How have glaciers in the Himalaya responded to Late Quaternary variability of the Indian Summer Monsoon?

Holocene moraines formed by Khumbu Glacier and Lobuche Glacier in the Everest region of Nepal

Photo:

Ann Rowan

Suggested reading:
Balco G. 2020. Technical note: A prototype transparent-middle-layer data management and analysis infrastructure for cosmogenic-nuclide exposure dating. Geochronology 2 : 169–175. DOI: 10.5194/gchron-2-169-2020
Denton GH, Putnam AE, Russell JL, Barrell DJA, Schaefer JM, Kaplan MR, Strand PD. 2021. The Zealandia Switch: Ice age climate shifts viewed from Southern Hemisphere moraines. Quaternary Science Reviews 257 : 106771. DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106771
Hornsey J, Rowan AV, Kirkbride MP, Livingstone SJ, Fabel D, Rodes A, Quincey DJ, Hubbard B, Jomelli V. 2022. Be‐10 Dating of Ice‐Marginal Moraines in the Khumbu Valley, Nepal, Central Himalaya, Reveals the Response of Monsoon‐Influenced Glaciers to Holocene Climate Change. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 127 DOI: 10.1029/2022JF006645
Mackintosh AN, Anderson BM, Pierrehumbert RT. 2017. Reconstructing Climate from Glaciers. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 45 : 649–680. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-earth-063016-020643

Proposed course plan during the master's degree (60 ECTS):
Suggested classes, which can be discussed:
Høstsemester:
GEOV222 Palaeoclimatology (10 sp)
GEOV230 Glacial geology and geomorphology (10 sp)
GEOV324 Polar palaeoclimate (5 sp)
Vårsemester:
GEOV328 Quaternary geochronology (10 sp)
GEOV325 Glaciology (10 sp)
GEOV302 Data analysis in earth science (10 sp)
GEOV225 Quaternary geology and palaeoclimate field course (10 sp)

Prerequisites
The project will use scripted programming languages such as Python/Matlab for data analysis and GIS for remote mapping. Familiarity with these methods is useful but not essential, as training and ongoing support will be provided. The student will have the opportunity to join ongoing fieldwork in Nepal in spring 2025 to carry out field mapping and sampling if desired, which requires competence in working in mountain environments.

Felt- lab- og analysearbeid
The student will develop skills in the use of database software to dynamically manage large geochronological datasets, statistical methods for analysis of these datasets and in the analysis of glacial geomorphology through mapping from satellite data and imagery.

The student will also have the opportunity to take part in fieldwork to the Everest region of Nepal in spring 2025 to carry out field mapping and collect samples to produce new geochronological data using terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide exposure-age dating in UiB's CosmoLab.