Recent Abnormal Hydrologic Behavior of Tibetan Lakes Observed by Multi-Mission Altimeters
Inland lakes in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) with closed catchments and minimal human disturbance are an important indicator of climate change. However, the examination of changes in the spatiotemporal patterns of Tibetan lakes, especially water level variations, is limited due to inadequate access to m...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/18/2986 |
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| author | Pengfei Zhan Chunqiao Song Jida Wang Wenkai Li Linghong Ke Kai Liu Tan Chen |
| author_facet | Pengfei Zhan Chunqiao Song Jida Wang Wenkai Li Linghong Ke Kai Liu Tan Chen |
| author_sort | Pengfei Zhan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Inland lakes in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) with closed catchments and minimal human disturbance are an important indicator of climate change. However, the examination of changes in the spatiotemporal patterns of Tibetan lakes, especially water level variations, is limited due to inadequate access to measurements. This obstacle has been improved by the development of satellite altimetry observations. The more recent studies revealed that the trend of central TP to grow decreased or reversed between 2010 and 2016. However, thus far, this trend has not been investigated to determine whether this pattern would last for the following years. This study aims to combine the traditional (launched before 2010, e.g., TOPEX/POSEIDON, ERS-1, ERS-2, Jason-1/-2, and Envisat) and recently advanced (launched after 2010, e.g., SARAL and Sentinel-3) altimetry observations to understand the Tibetan lake changes further in recent years. Therefore, we acquired information on the continuous lake level changes in Tibetan lakes using the lake level sequence integration method based on multisource altimetry satellites. The results revealed that water level changes in 22 examined lakes showed abrupt rises in 2016–2018, but the onsets and magnitudes of the rises varied among the lakes. During the study period, the water levels of the lakes (except Nam Co) revealed a drastic rising tendency with a mean rate of 0.74 m/a, which was remarkably higher than the average rate of water level rise over the period 2010–2015 (approximately 0.28 m/a). Specifically, the water level of the nine lakes in the Northern TP (NTP) displayed a significant rising trend, with an average rate of 0.82 m/a. In the Central TP (CTP), the lake level changes were generally divided into two categories. The water levels for the lakes in the Western CTP rose rapidly, while, in the Eastern CTP, the lake water levels rose slowly, with an average rising rate less than 0.40 m/a. The water levels for the lakes in the Northeastern TP (NETP) and Northwestern TP (NWTP) kept a stable rising tendency. According to the results of the climate analysis, the spatial differences of the lake level rise rates were primarily caused by the spatial and temporal changes of precipitation over the TP. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:21:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fe7a9299cc5146d7a3e0d3a59be78139 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:21:06Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-fe7a9299cc5146d7a3e0d3a59be781392023-11-20T13:42:58ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922020-09-011218298610.3390/rs12182986Recent Abnormal Hydrologic Behavior of Tibetan Lakes Observed by Multi-Mission AltimetersPengfei Zhan0Chunqiao Song1Jida Wang2Wenkai Li3Linghong Ke4Kai Liu5Tan Chen6Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, ChinaKey Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, ChinaDepartment of Geography and Geospatial Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USAKey Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME), Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC), Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Hydrology—Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaKey Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, ChinaKey Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, ChinaInland lakes in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) with closed catchments and minimal human disturbance are an important indicator of climate change. However, the examination of changes in the spatiotemporal patterns of Tibetan lakes, especially water level variations, is limited due to inadequate access to measurements. This obstacle has been improved by the development of satellite altimetry observations. The more recent studies revealed that the trend of central TP to grow decreased or reversed between 2010 and 2016. However, thus far, this trend has not been investigated to determine whether this pattern would last for the following years. This study aims to combine the traditional (launched before 2010, e.g., TOPEX/POSEIDON, ERS-1, ERS-2, Jason-1/-2, and Envisat) and recently advanced (launched after 2010, e.g., SARAL and Sentinel-3) altimetry observations to understand the Tibetan lake changes further in recent years. Therefore, we acquired information on the continuous lake level changes in Tibetan lakes using the lake level sequence integration method based on multisource altimetry satellites. The results revealed that water level changes in 22 examined lakes showed abrupt rises in 2016–2018, but the onsets and magnitudes of the rises varied among the lakes. During the study period, the water levels of the lakes (except Nam Co) revealed a drastic rising tendency with a mean rate of 0.74 m/a, which was remarkably higher than the average rate of water level rise over the period 2010–2015 (approximately 0.28 m/a). Specifically, the water level of the nine lakes in the Northern TP (NTP) displayed a significant rising trend, with an average rate of 0.82 m/a. In the Central TP (CTP), the lake level changes were generally divided into two categories. The water levels for the lakes in the Western CTP rose rapidly, while, in the Eastern CTP, the lake water levels rose slowly, with an average rising rate less than 0.40 m/a. The water levels for the lakes in the Northeastern TP (NETP) and Northwestern TP (NWTP) kept a stable rising tendency. According to the results of the climate analysis, the spatial differences of the lake level rise rates were primarily caused by the spatial and temporal changes of precipitation over the TP.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/18/2986Tibetan Plateaulakewater levelsatellite altimetryclimate changeprecipitation |
| spellingShingle | Pengfei Zhan Chunqiao Song Jida Wang Wenkai Li Linghong Ke Kai Liu Tan Chen Recent Abnormal Hydrologic Behavior of Tibetan Lakes Observed by Multi-Mission Altimeters Remote Sensing Tibetan Plateau lake water level satellite altimetry climate change precipitation |
| title | Recent Abnormal Hydrologic Behavior of Tibetan Lakes Observed by Multi-Mission Altimeters |
| title_full | Recent Abnormal Hydrologic Behavior of Tibetan Lakes Observed by Multi-Mission Altimeters |
| title_fullStr | Recent Abnormal Hydrologic Behavior of Tibetan Lakes Observed by Multi-Mission Altimeters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Recent Abnormal Hydrologic Behavior of Tibetan Lakes Observed by Multi-Mission Altimeters |
| title_short | Recent Abnormal Hydrologic Behavior of Tibetan Lakes Observed by Multi-Mission Altimeters |
| title_sort | recent abnormal hydrologic behavior of tibetan lakes observed by multi mission altimeters |
| topic | Tibetan Plateau lake water level satellite altimetry climate change precipitation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/18/2986 |
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