[en] Full text: This paper examines the stable isotopic ratios, ¹⁸O/¹⁶O (δ¹8O_ice) and ²H/¹H (δD_ice), preserved in mid to low-latitude glaciers as tools for paleoclimate reconstruction. Ice cores are particularly valuable as they contain additional data (such as dust concentrations, aerosol chemistry, and accumulation rates) that can be combined with the isotopic information to assist with inferences about the regional climate conditions prevailing at the time of deposition. We use a collection of multi-proxy ice core histories to explore the stable isotopic climate relationship on seasonal, decadal, centennial, and millennial timescales. The paper looks closely at the relationship between temperature-precipitation and stable isotopes over these diverse time perspectives. Stable isotopic variations in ice cores from the tropics are highly correlated with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) across the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which are closely linked to ENSO variability. Therefore, a network of ice cores from selected locations offers the prospect of reconstructing low-latitude circulation. Decadally-averaged stable isotopes records from three Andean and three Tibetan ice cores are combined in a composite in order to present a low-latitude stable isotope history for the last two millennium. Comparisons of this composite over the last millennium are made with the Northern Hemisphere proxy record (1000-2000 A.D.) reconstructed by Mann et al. (1999) and measured temperatures (1856-2000 A.D.) reported by Jones et al. (1999). The ice cores evidently have captured a great deal of the decadal-scale variability in the global temperature trends. The ice core record shows a 20th century isotopic enrichment that suggests that a large scale warming is underway at low latitudes. The rate of this isotopically-inferred warming is amplified at higher elevations over the Tibetan Plateau, while amplification in the Andes is latitude-dependent with enrichment (warming) increasing equator-ward. In concert with this apparent warming, in situ observations reveal that tropical glaciers are currently disappearing. A brief overview of the loss of these tropical data archives over the last 30 years is presented, along with evaluation of recent changes in mean stable isotopic values. The isotopic composition of precipitation should be viewed not only as a powerful proxy indicator of climate change, but also as an additional parameter to aid our understanding of the linkages between changes in the hydrological cycle and global climate. (author)