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Multi-Temporal Glacier-Climate Interactions in Peru’s Queshque Valley (~10˚S): Modeling Contemporary Glacier Change and Interpreting Geomorphic Evidence of Holocene Climate History

Shutkin, Tal Yonah
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1143-0113
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu165090868856159

Abstract Details

2022, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Geography.
Improving tropical glacier modeling capacity is crucial for deriving climatological insight from tropical glacier fluctuations on historical to multi-millennial timescales and for predicting socially relevant glacier environmental changes under anthropogenic climate warming. Using the glacierized Queshque Valley of Peru’s Cordillera Blanca as a case study, this thesis first develops data assimilation and calibration methods to adapt a coupled temperature-index mass balance and glacier flow model to tropical settings. The calibrated model is applied to project glacier evolution in the valley under an ensemble of climate change scenarios, confirming the high probability of near complete deglaciation by the end of this century. Despite the glacier’s current trajectory, moraine features signal that ice once extended about 6km further down valley. Three cosmogenic nuclide dated moraines reveal extended ice cover at 10.8ka, 9.4ka, and 6.2ka BP, and historical maps show that the glaciers have retreated considerably since 1962 CE. Equilibrium experiments are used to identify all possible climatic conditions producing stable glaciers at the positions marked by the moraines and historical ice limit. Relative to the 1985-2015 CE climatic baseline, results suggest that valley temperatures were 2.9-1.9˚C cooler at 10.8ka BP and at least 1.0˚C cooler at 9.4ka BP. Proximity between the 9.6ka and 6.2ka moraines makes their climatic signatures difficult to distinguish. Finally, the equilibrium experiment confirms that in 1962 the glacier was already far out of balance. In summary, this thesis presents a data-intensive approach to improving model performance on a tropical glacier, enabling accurate ice loss projections, and helping to constrain paleoclimatic interpretations of tropical glacier geomorphology.
Bryan Mark (Advisor)
Zhengyu Liu (Committee Member)
Ellen Mosley-Thompson (Committee Member)
89 p.
Geography; Geomorphology
tropical glaciers, glacier modeling, glacial geomorphology, Open Global Glacier Model, Cordillera Blanca, Peru, climate change

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Shutkin, T. Y. (2022). Multi-Temporal Glacier-Climate Interactions in Peru’s Queshque Valley (~10˚S): Modeling Contemporary Glacier Change and Interpreting Geomorphic Evidence of Holocene Climate History [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu165090868856159

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Shutkin, Tal. Multi-Temporal Glacier-Climate Interactions in Peru’s Queshque Valley (~10˚S): Modeling Contemporary Glacier Change and Interpreting Geomorphic Evidence of Holocene Climate History. 2022. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu165090868856159.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Shutkin, Tal. "Multi-Temporal Glacier-Climate Interactions in Peru’s Queshque Valley (~10˚S): Modeling Contemporary Glacier Change and Interpreting Geomorphic Evidence of Holocene Climate History." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu165090868856159

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.