Contrasting Evolution Patterns of Endorheic and Exorheic Lakes on the Central Tibetan Plateau and Climate Cause Analysis during 1988–2017

The alpine lakes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are indicators of climate change. The assessment of lake dynamics on the TP is an important component of global climate change research. With a focus on lakes in the 33° N zone of the central TP, this study investigates the temporal evolution patterns of the lake areas of different types of lakes, i.e., non-glacier-fed endorheic lakes and non-glacier-fed exorheic lakes, during 1988–2017, and examines their relationship with changes in climatic factors. From 1988 to 2017, two endorheic lakes (Lake Yagenco and Lake Zhamcomaqiong) in the study area expanded significantly, i.e., by more than 50%. Over the same period, two exorheic lakes within the study area also exhibited spatio-temporal variability: Lake Gaeencuonama increased by 5.48%, and the change in Lake Zhamuco was not significant. The 2000s was a period of rapid expansion of both the closed lakes (endorheic lakes) and open lakes (exorheic lakes) in the study area. However, the endorheic lakes maintained the increase in lake area after the period of rapid expansion, while the exorheic lakes decreased after significant expansion. During 1988–2017, the annual mean temperature significantly increased at a rate of 0.04 °C/a, while the annual precipitation slightly increased at a rate of 2.23 mm/a. Furthermore, the annual precipitation significantly increased at a rate of 14.28 mm/a during 1995–2008. The results of this study demonstrate that the change in precipitation was responsible for the observed changes in the lake areas of the two exorheic lakes within the study area, while the changes in the lake areas of the two endorheic lakes were more sensitive to the annual mean temperature between 1988 and 2017. Given the importance of lakes to the TP, these are not trivial issues, and we now need accelerated research based on long-term and continuous remote sensing data.

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The Coincident Relationships between the Qehan Lake Area Fluctuation and the Climate Change in the Nearly 40 Years

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.137.286 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 137 ◽

pp. 286-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xi Chun ◽

Mei Jie Zhang ◽

Mei Ping Liu

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Inner Mongolia ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Annual Precipitation ◽

Lake Area ◽

Annual Average ◽

Average Temperature ◽

Changing Patterns ◽

Annual Evaporation ◽

Annual Average Temperature

The objective of this study is to analyse the climate changing patterns chronologically for exposing the coincident relationships between the lake area fluctuation and the climate change in Qehan lake of Abaga county of Inner Mongolia. The results show that there’s highly interrelation between the changes of the lake area and the climatic factors here, the annual average temperature and annual evaporation are negatively interrelate to the lake area fluctuation, and the annual precipitation interrelate to it is positive. The lake area has descended about 75 km2 during the nearly past 40 years. There were about two considerable lake expansions in 1973, 1998 through the generally lake area descending process.

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Changing Pattern of Water Level Trends in Eurasian Endorheic Lakes as a Response to the Recent Climate Variability

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13183705 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 3705

Author(s):

Xin Zhang ◽

Abilgazi Kurbaniyazov ◽

Georgiy Kirillin

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Central Asia ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Hydrological Regime ◽

Water Levels ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Lake Levels ◽

Mongolian Plateau ◽

Recent Climate

Lake level is a sensitive integral indicator of climate change on regional scales, especially in enclosed endorheic basins. Eurasia contains the largest endorheic zone with several large terminal lakes, whose water levels recently underwent remarkable variations. To address the patterns of these variations and their links to the climate change, we investigated the variability of levels in 15 lakes of three neighboring endorheic regions—Central Asia, Tibetan Plateau, and Mongolian Plateau. Satellite altimetry revealed a heterogeneous pattern among the regions during 1992–2018: lake levels increased significantly in Central Asia and the Tibetan Plateau but decreased on the Mongolian Plateau. The shifts to the increasing trend were detected since 1997 in Central Asia, since 1998 in the southern part of the Tibetan Plateau, and since 2005 in its northern part. The shift in air temperatures around 1997 and the precipitation shifts around 1998 and 2004 contributed to the trend’s turning points, with precipitation being the major contributor to the heterogeneous pattern of lake levels. Our findings reveal the linkage of the heterogeneous pattern of lake levels to climatic factors in the endorheic basins, providing a further understanding of the hydrological regime in the Eurasian endorheic zone and its sensitivity to climate change.

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Relationships between Temporal and Spatial Changes in Lakes and Climate Change in the Saline-Alkali Concentrated Distribution Area in the Southwest of Songnen Plain, Northeast China, from 1985 to 2015

Water ◽

10.3390/w12123557 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 3557

Author(s):

Zhaoyang Li ◽

Yidan Cao ◽

Jie Tang ◽

Yao Wang ◽

Yucong Duan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Northeast China ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Test Method ◽

Annual Precipitation ◽

Distribution Area ◽

Lake Area ◽

Songnen Plain ◽

Contribution Rate ◽

Large Lakes

The southwest of Songnen Plain, Northeast China, has an arid climate and is a typical concentrated distribution area of saline-alkali soil. The terrain here is low-lying, with many small, shallow lakes that are vulnerable to climate change. This paper used Landsat satellite remote sensing images of this area from 1985 to 2015 to perform interpretation of lake water bodies, to classify the lakes according to their areas, and to analyze the spatial dynamic characteristics of lakes in different areas. During the 30 years from 1985 to 2015, the number of lakes in the study area decreased by 71, and the total lake area decreased by 266.85 km2. The decrease was more serious in the east and northeast, and the appearance and disappearance of lakes was drastic. The Mann–Kendall test method was used to analyze trends in meteorological factors (annual mean temperature, annual precipitation, and annual evaporation) in the study area and perform mutation tests. Through correlation analysis and multiple generalized linear model analysis, the response relationship between lake change and climate change was quantified. The results showed that the average temperature in the area is rising, and the annual precipitation and evaporation are declining. Temperature and precipitation mainly affected lakes of less than 1 km2, with a contribution rate of 31.2% and 39.4%, and evaporation had a certain correlation to the total lake area in the study area, with a contribution rate of 60.2%. Small lakes are susceptible to climatic factors, while large lakes, which are mostly used as water sources, may be influenced more by human factors. This is the problem and challenge to be uncovered in this article. This research will help to improve our understanding of lake evolution and climate change response in saline-alkali areas and provide scientific basis for research into lakes’ (reservoirs’) sustainable development and protection.

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Variation of Net Primary Production and Its Correlation with Climate Change and Anthropogenic Activities over the Tibetan Plateau

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs10091352 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1352 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Zhaohui Luo ◽

Wenchen Wu ◽

Xijun Yu ◽

Qingmei Song ◽

Jian Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Mean Value ◽

Mean Annual Temperature ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Casa Model ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Cumulative Precipitation

Grasslands in the Tibetan Plateau are claimed to be sensitive and vulnerable to climate change and anthropogenic activities. Quantifying the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities on grassland growth is an essential step for developing sustainable grassland ecosystem management strategies under the background of climate change and increasing anthropogenic activities occurring in the plateau. Net primary productivity (NPP) is one of the key components in the carbon cycle of terrestrial ecosystems, and can serve an important role in the assessment of vegetation growth. In this study, a modified Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) model, which considers remote sensing information for the estimation of the water stress coefficient and time-lag effects of climatic factors on NPP simulation, was applied to simulate NPP in the Tibetan Plateau from 2001 to 2015. Then, the spatiotemporal variations of NPP and its correlation with climatic factors and anthropogenic activities were analyzed. The results showed that the mean values of NPP were 0.18 kg∙C∙m−2∙a−1 and 0.16 kg∙C∙m−2∙a−1 for the original CASA model and modified CASA model, respectively. The modified CASA model performed well in estimating NPP compared with field-observed data, with root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.13 kg∙C∙m−2∙a−1 and 0.10 kg∙C∙m−2∙a−1, respectively. Relative RMSE and MAE decreased by 45.8% and 44.4%, respectively, compared to the original CASA model. The variation of NPP showed gradients decreasing from southeast to northwest spatially, and displayed an overall decreasing trend for the study area temporally, with a mean value of −0.02 × 10−2 kg∙C∙m−2∙a−1 due to climate change and increasing anthropogenic activities (i.e., land use and land cover change). Generally, 54% and 89% of the total pixels displayed a negative relationship between NPP and mean annual temperature, as well as annual cumulative precipitation, respectively, with average values of –0.0003 (kg∙C∙m−2 a−1)/°C and −0.254 (g∙C∙m−2∙a−1)/mm for mean annual temperature and annual cumulative precipitation, respectively. Additionally, about 68% of the total pixels displayed a positive relationship between annual cumulative solar radiation and NPP, with a mean value of 0.038 (g∙C∙m−2·a−1)/(MJ m−2). Anthropogenic activities had a negative effect on NPP variation, and it was larger than that of climate change, implying that human intervention plays a critical role in mitigating the degenerating ecosystem. In terms of human intervention, ecological destruction has a significantly negative effect on the NPP trend, and the absolute value was larger than that of ecological restoration, which has a significantly positive effect on NPP the trend. Our results indicate that ecological destruction should be paid more attention, and ecological restoration should be conducted to mitigate the overall decreasing trend of NPP in the plateau.

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Characteristics of Water Vapor in the UTLS over the Tibetan Plateau Based on AURA/MLS Observations

Advances in Meteorology ◽

10.1155/2017/3504254 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yi Sun ◽

Quanliang Chen ◽

Ke Gui ◽

Fangyou Dong ◽

Xiao Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Water Vapor ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Global Climate ◽

Wave Structure ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Vital Effect ◽

Southern Tibetan Plateau ◽

The Difference

Water vapor (WV) has a vital effect on global climate change. Using satellite data observed by AURA/MLS and ERA-Interim reanalysis datasets, the spatial distributions and temporal variations of WV were analyzed. It was found that high WV content in the UTLS over the southern Tibetan Plateau is more apparent in summer, due to monsoon-induced strong upward motions. The WV content showed the opposite distribution at 100 hPa, though, during spring and winter. And a different distribution at 121 hPa indicated that the difference in WV content between the northern and southern plateau occurs between 121 and 100 hPa in spring and between 147 and 121 hPa in winter. In the UTLS, it diminishes rapidly with increase in altitude in these two seasons, and it shows a “V” structure in winter. There has been a weak increasing trend in WV at 100 hPa, but a downtrend at 147 and 215 hPa, during the past 12 years. At the latter two heights, the WV content in summer has been much higher than in other seasons. Furthermore, WV variation showed a rough wave structure in spring and autumn at 215 hPa. The variation of WV over the Tibetan Plateau is helpful in understanding the stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) and climate change.

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Growth of a high-elevation large inland lake, associated with climate change and permafrost degradation in Tibet

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/hessd-6-5445-2009 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 5445-5469 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

J. Liu ◽

S. Kang ◽

T. Gong ◽

A. Lu

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

High Elevation ◽

Annual Runoff ◽

Annual Precipitation ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Permafrost Degradation ◽

Lake Area ◽

Pan Evaporation ◽

Inland Lake ◽

Precipitation Increase

Abstract. This study analyzed satellite images and long term climate variables from a high-elevation meteorological station (4730 m) and streamflow records to examine hydrological response of Nam Co Lake (4718 m), the largest lake on the Tibetan Plateau, over the last 50 years. The results show the lake area extended by 51.8 km2 (2.7% of the total area) when compared with the area in 1976. This change is associated with an annual precipitation increase of 65 mm (18.6%), annual and winter mean temperature increases of 0.9°C and 2.1°C respectively, an annual runoff increase of 20% and an annual pan evaporation decrease of about 2%, during the past 20 years. The year of the change point in annual precipitation, air temperature, annual pan evaporation and runoff occurred in 1971, 1983, 1997 and 1997, respectively. The timing of the lake growth corresponds with the abrupt increase in annual precipitation and runoff since the mid-1990s. This study suggests a strong positive water balance in the largest inland lake on the Tibetan Plateau.

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Characteristics and Scenarios Projection of Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1155/2013/129793 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Zhenchun Hao ◽

Qin Ju ◽

Weijuan Jiang ◽

Changjun Zhu

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Climate Models ◽

Global Climate ◽

Surface Air Temperature ◽

Global Climate Models ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Temperature And Precipitation ◽

Ipcc Ar4

The Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR4) presents twenty-two global climate models (GCMs). In this paper, we evaluate the ability of 22 GCMs to reproduce temperature and precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau by comparing with ground observations for 1961~1900. The results suggest that all the GCMs underestimate surface air temperature and most models overestimate precipitation in most regions on the Tibetan Plateau. Only a few models (each 5 models for precipitation and temperature) appear roughly consistent with the observations in annual temperature and precipitation variations. Comparatively, GFCM21 and CGMR are able to better reproduce the observed annual temperature and precipitation variability over the Tibetan Plateau. Although the scenarios predicted by the GCMs vary greatly, all the models predict consistently increasing trends in temperature and precipitation in most regions in the Tibetan Plateau in the next 90 years. The results suggest that the temperature and precipitation will both increase in all three periods under different scenarios, with scenario A1 increasing the most and scenario A1B increasing the least.

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The evolution trend of geological disasters over spatial and temporal in the context of global warming —— taking the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as an example

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-4377 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yiru Jia

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Influencing Factors ◽

Rainy Season ◽

Global Climate ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Geological Disasters ◽

The World ◽

Disaster Data

<p>The Tibetan plateau (QTP) has the highest average elevation in the world. As the third pole in the world, it has the largest cryosphere system at low and mid latitudes. It is a sensitive area of climate change, and the climate change is more significant. Global climate change has led to higher temperatures and increased rainfall on the Tibetan Plateau. This will lead to changes in the frequency and pattern of geological disasters. This spatiotemporal change and its influencing factors are not clear, so we collected a total of 898 geological disasters in the QTP from 1905 to 2015. Then we process the data to obtain various meteorological indicators of the QTP and combine them with the changes in the distribution of disaster points. Furthermore, the distribution pattern of the disaster points with the spatiotemporal changes of slope, altitude, precipitation and temperature is obtained. Statistics on the disaster data corresponding to each meteorological index are then made. Through the analysis of the distribution map and the statistical results of the data, the correlation between the occurrence of geological disasters and each element is obtained. The disaster points are superimposed with multiple influencing factors, and the influence of multiple factors on the distribution of geological hazards is discussed. The results showed that geological disasters have gradually expanded from the traditional high-incidence area of southern and eastern edges to the interior. The frequency of disasters in high altitude areas is increasing, and gradually extended from the rainy season to the non-rainy season.</p>

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