High-resolution millennial and centennial scale Holocene monsoon variability in the Higher Central Himalayas

Relict lake sediments situated within the transition of the lesser and higher central Himalayas show a persistent millennial to centennial-scale monsoon variability during the Holocene. Based on high resolution geochemical data supported by radiocarbon dating, six phases of enhanced Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) with varying magnitude have been identified. These are dated between 10,000-9600, 9500-9200, 8600-5800, 5000-4200, 3500-2400 and 1800-1000 cal yr BP. The millennial and multi-centennial-scale phases of enhanced ISM are broadly comparable with the existing continental and marine records from the monsoon dominated region of SE Asia, suggesting sensitivity of the regions to short-term climatic perturbations. Further, the study observed that the phases of weakened ISM largely correlate with the drift-ice record of the northern Atlantic implying a coupling between short-term solar irradiance induced glacial boundary condition in the northern Atlantic and the millennial and multi-centennial scale monsoon variability in the central Himalaya.