The Tibetan Plateau (TP), also known as the Asian Water Tower and the Third Pole, covers a large area of glaciers. Analysis of ice cores allows us to reconstruct past changes in the climate and environment. Up to date, more than 40 ice cores have been studied from TP glaciers since 1980s. In order to comprehensively understand the TP’s climate and environment history, we synthesized the ice core studies over the TP. We discussed the updated methods and uncertainties of TP ice core dating, highlighting the recent rapid climate warming are threatening ice core archives. We addressed the past climate and environmental changes indicated by ice core evidences, focusing on the variations of human-made pollutants (BC and Hg) and constraint their emissions from natural or anthropogenic sources.

Ice core, climate change, anthropogenic sources, Tibetan Plateau