Indian monsoon and North Atlantic Oscillation signals reflected by Cl- and Na+ in a shallow ice core from Dasuopu glacier, Xixabangma, Himalaya

Abstract

Information about past atmospheric circulation and climate change can be revealed by the chemical constituents of ice cores. Based on the analytical results of Cl- and Na+ concentrations in an 18.5 m ice core, which contains 14 annual layers, from the Dasuopu glacier, central Himalaya, a significant correlation is found between Cl- and Na+ concentrations. This, along with the average Cl-/Na+ weight ratio of 1.9, indicates that moisture at the drilling site came mostly from oceans. Furthermore, there was a high positive correlation between the Cl-/Na+ ratio in the summer monsoon layers and the monsoon rainfall in northeast India, and there exists a teleconnection between the Cl- and Na+ concentrations in this shallow ice core and the North Atlantic Oscillation.