Modelling glacier advances and related climate conditions during the last glaciation cycle in the Kuzigun Valley, Tashkurgan catchment, on the north-west Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACT Understanding regional climate during the last glaciation cycle (LGC) is far from complete for the north‐western Tibetan Plateau. Recent improvements in understanding glacial extents and chronologies in the Tashkurgan catchment, north‐west Tibetan Plateau, present an opportunity to estimate the glacial climatic conditions of the LGC. Here we use a coupled mass‐balance and ice‐flow model to reconstruct glacier advances in the Kuzigun Valley during the LGC and quantify the related climate conditions in the Tashkurgan, Hangdi, and Kuzigun glacial stages for the region. The model results show that the Kuzigun Valley contained ice volumes of 5.713 ± 0.005, 4.874 ± 0.005 and 3.631 ± 0.004 km3 with equilibrium line altitude‐lowering values of ∼500, ∼560 and ∼610 m in the three successive glacial stages, respectively. By referencing the climatic δ18O proxy records, we conclude that temperature decreased by 5–8, ∼4 and 140% modern values in the Kuzigun, Hangdi and Tashkurgan glacial stages, respectively. Our climatic estimates for the Kuzigun stage are generally consistent with previous studies that showed the Last Glacial Maximum climate was 4–9 °C colder than today on the Tibetan Plateau. More accurate climate proxies are needed for evaluating our modelled Tashkurgan climatic conditions.