An unprecedented panorama of the impact of climate change on lakes at the Third Pole has been presented in
a recent review by a group of international scientists. “The review has synthesized published findings on Third Pole lake studies, in hope of enabling deeper insight into water cycle changes on the highest and most extensive highland in the world under climate change,” said lead author of the review,
Dr. ZHANG Guoqing from the
Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Xuru Co （Photographer：WANG Yongjie）
The researchers examined alpine lake evolution, spatial patterns and driving mechanisms. According to their work, changes in lake area, level and volume show a slight decrease from 1976 to the mid-1990s, followed by a continuous rapid increase. Spatial patterns show overall lake growth in the north of the inner plateau in contrast with a reduction in the south. North-south differences also show up in lake temperature, with most of the lakes in the north becoming cooler and most southern lakes becoming warmer. Similarly, the researchers identified longer ice cover duration in the north compared with the south.
Schematic diagram illustrating changes in spatial patterns of lake area/level/volume, lake water surface temperature, and lake ice cover duration at the Third Pole
The changes in lake temperature are negatively correlated with water level variations and lake ice duration. Enhanced precipitation is the dominant contributor to increased lake water storage, followed by glacier mass loss and permafrost thawing. The decadal lake expansion since the mid-1990s may have been driven by the positive phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, and clear inflection points in lake area/level identified in 1997/1998 and 2015/2016 are attributed to strong El Nino events. In the near-term, the lakes will continue to expand.
Schematic diagram illustrating key components of lake water balance including precipitation, evaporation, glacier/snow melt and permafrost degradation. Lake observations from satellites, aircraft, and ground-based stations are also shown
“This review will benefit various research communities such as hydrology, limnology, glaciology, climate change, and remote sensing,” observed Dr. Zhang. “Future interdisciplinary lake studies are urgently required to improve understanding of climate-cryosphere-hydrosphere interactions and water resource management.”
Cover Photo：YamdrokTso （Photographer：Chunlin Mark）
This study was supported by STEP and Pan-TPE, both TPE-related science projects.
