Characterization of Long-Time Series Variation of Glacial Lakes in Southwestern Tibet: A Case Study in the Nyalam County
Glacial lakes are important freshwater resources in southern Tibet. However, glacial lake outburst floods have significantly jeopardized the safety of local residents. To better understand the changes in glacial lakes in response to climate change, it is necessary to conduct a long-term evaluation o...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-09-01
|
| Series: | Remote Sensing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/19/4688 |
| _version_ | 1797477244682108928 |
|---|---|
| author | Ge Qu Xiaoai Dai Junying Cheng Weile Li Meilian Wang Wenxin Liu Zhichong Yang Yunfeng Shan Jiashun Ren Heng Lu Youlin Wang Binyang Zeng Murat Atasoy |
| author_facet | Ge Qu Xiaoai Dai Junying Cheng Weile Li Meilian Wang Wenxin Liu Zhichong Yang Yunfeng Shan Jiashun Ren Heng Lu Youlin Wang Binyang Zeng Murat Atasoy |
| author_sort | Ge Qu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Glacial lakes are important freshwater resources in southern Tibet. However, glacial lake outburst floods have significantly jeopardized the safety of local residents. To better understand the changes in glacial lakes in response to climate change, it is necessary to conduct a long-term evaluation on the areal dynamics of glacial lakes, assisted with local observations. Here, we propose an innovative method of classification and stacking extraction to accurately delineate glacial lakes in southwestern Tibet from 1990 to 2020. Based on Landsat images and meteorological data, we used geographic detectors to detect correlation factors. Multiple regression models were used to analyze the driving factors of the changes in glacier lake area. We combined bathymetric data of the glacial lakes with the changes in climatic variables and utilized HEC-RAS to determine critical circumstances for glacial lake outbursts. The results show that the area of glacial lakes in Nyalam County increased from 27.95 km<sup>2</sup> in 1990 to 52.85 km<sup>2</sup> in 2020, and eight more glacial lakes were observed in the study area. The glacial lake area expanded by 89.09%, where we found significant growth from 2015 to 2020. The correlation analysis between the glacial lake area and climate change throughout the period shows that temperature and precipitation dominate the expansion of these lakes from 1990 to 2020. We also discover that the progressive increase in water volume of glacial lakes can be attributed to the constant rise in temperature and freeze–thaw of surrounding glaciers. Finally, the critical conditions for the glacial lake’s outburst were predicted by using HEC-RAS combined with the changes in the water volume and climatic factors. It is concluded that GangxiCo endures a maximum water flow of 4.3 × 10<sup>8</sup> m<sup>3</sup>, and the glacial lake is in a stable changing stage. This conclusion is consistent with the field investigation and can inform the prediction of glacial lake outbursts in southwestern Tibet in the future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:14:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3bf0959b1675418a9ea1dbfda2063838 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:14:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-3bf0959b1675418a9ea1dbfda20638382023-11-23T21:36:56ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-09-011419468810.3390/rs14194688Characterization of Long-Time Series Variation of Glacial Lakes in Southwestern Tibet: A Case Study in the Nyalam CountyGe Qu0Xiaoai Dai1Junying Cheng2Weile Li3Meilian Wang4Wenxin Liu5Zhichong Yang6Yunfeng Shan7Jiashun Ren8Heng Lu9Youlin Wang10Binyang Zeng11Murat Atasoy12School of Earth Science, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Earth Science, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Earth Science, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaDepartment of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, ChinaSchool of Earth Science, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Earth Science, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Earth Science, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Earth Science, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, ChinaNorthwest Engineering Corporation Limited, Xi’an 710065, ChinaSouthwest Branch of China Petroleum Engineering Construction Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610095, ChinaDepartment Geosciences, College of Sciences and Mathematics, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USAGlacial lakes are important freshwater resources in southern Tibet. However, glacial lake outburst floods have significantly jeopardized the safety of local residents. To better understand the changes in glacial lakes in response to climate change, it is necessary to conduct a long-term evaluation on the areal dynamics of glacial lakes, assisted with local observations. Here, we propose an innovative method of classification and stacking extraction to accurately delineate glacial lakes in southwestern Tibet from 1990 to 2020. Based on Landsat images and meteorological data, we used geographic detectors to detect correlation factors. Multiple regression models were used to analyze the driving factors of the changes in glacier lake area. We combined bathymetric data of the glacial lakes with the changes in climatic variables and utilized HEC-RAS to determine critical circumstances for glacial lake outbursts. The results show that the area of glacial lakes in Nyalam County increased from 27.95 km<sup>2</sup> in 1990 to 52.85 km<sup>2</sup> in 2020, and eight more glacial lakes were observed in the study area. The glacial lake area expanded by 89.09%, where we found significant growth from 2015 to 2020. The correlation analysis between the glacial lake area and climate change throughout the period shows that temperature and precipitation dominate the expansion of these lakes from 1990 to 2020. We also discover that the progressive increase in water volume of glacial lakes can be attributed to the constant rise in temperature and freeze–thaw of surrounding glaciers. Finally, the critical conditions for the glacial lake’s outburst were predicted by using HEC-RAS combined with the changes in the water volume and climatic factors. It is concluded that GangxiCo endures a maximum water flow of 4.3 × 10<sup>8</sup> m<sup>3</sup>, and the glacial lake is in a stable changing stage. This conclusion is consistent with the field investigation and can inform the prediction of glacial lake outbursts in southwestern Tibet in the future.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/19/4688glacial lakesinformation extractionremote sensingQinghai–Tibet Plateauclimate response |
| spellingShingle | Ge Qu Xiaoai Dai Junying Cheng Weile Li Meilian Wang Wenxin Liu Zhichong Yang Yunfeng Shan Jiashun Ren Heng Lu Youlin Wang Binyang Zeng Murat Atasoy Characterization of Long-Time Series Variation of Glacial Lakes in Southwestern Tibet: A Case Study in the Nyalam County Remote Sensing glacial lakes information extraction remote sensing Qinghai–Tibet Plateau climate response |
| title | Characterization of Long-Time Series Variation of Glacial Lakes in Southwestern Tibet: A Case Study in the Nyalam County |
| title_full | Characterization of Long-Time Series Variation of Glacial Lakes in Southwestern Tibet: A Case Study in the Nyalam County |
| title_fullStr | Characterization of Long-Time Series Variation of Glacial Lakes in Southwestern Tibet: A Case Study in the Nyalam County |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characterization of Long-Time Series Variation of Glacial Lakes in Southwestern Tibet: A Case Study in the Nyalam County |
| title_short | Characterization of Long-Time Series Variation of Glacial Lakes in Southwestern Tibet: A Case Study in the Nyalam County |
| title_sort | characterization of long time series variation of glacial lakes in southwestern tibet a case study in the nyalam county |
| topic | glacial lakes information extraction remote sensing Qinghai–Tibet Plateau climate response |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/19/4688 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gequ characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT xiaoaidai characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT junyingcheng characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT weileli characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT meilianwang characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT wenxinliu characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT zhichongyang characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT yunfengshan characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT jiashunren characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT henglu characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT youlinwang characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT binyangzeng characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty AT muratatasoy characterizationoflongtimeseriesvariationofglaciallakesinsouthwesterntibetacasestudyinthenyalamcounty |