Heinrich I and Younger Dryas Glaciation in the Central Andes

Short term climate reversals, such as Heinrich I (H-I) and the Younger Dryas (YD), are well documented in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the respective response of the climate system in the Southern Hemisphere during these events remains enigmatic. Here we present 10Be surface exposure ages from the Wara Wara Valley (17°S, 66°W), Cordillera Cochabamba, that reveal glacial advances in the Central Andes before 14.3 ka and 11.9 ka. These advances correlate with H-I and YD and coincide with the lake transgression phases Tauca (18-14 ka) and Coipasa (13-11 ka) on the Altiplano. They corroborate the precipitation sensitivity of glacier mass balances in the semi-arid Central Andes. We suggest that sufficient moisture for glacial advances can be explained by enhanced upper tropospheric easterlies as a response to an intensified tropical circulation and sustained la Niña like patterns in the eastern Pacific. This redistribution of the ocean and atmospheric circulation was caused by a southward shift of the ITCZ due to northern hemispheric cooling. At 10.8 ka glacier advanced again attributed to increased moisture supply by enhanced polar advection and SE trade winds during the Early Holocene. Final deglaciation started only at 9.2 ka induced by a change to drier conditions.