Dynamic change and spatial analysis of Great Lakes in China based on Hydroweb and Landsat data

Abstract

Lakes are crucial elements of the Earth’s hydrological cycle and play an important role in the regulation of the Earth’s material exchange and energy transfer. The expansion or contraction of lakes has an important influence on water use in agricultural and biogeochemical activities. It is of great significance to establish a long time series dataset of changes in the lake area, water level, and lake volume. Based on Landsat data and Hydroweb data, this study firstly established a long time series dataset of the lake area, water level, and lake volume change of China’s great lakes from 1978 to 2018. Then combined with DSAS, net shoreline movement (NSM), and linear regression rate (LRR) of the growth type lakes and the reduction type lakes were calculated, and quantitatively described the lake area change and spatial variation of lake shoreline. Finally, meteorological factors such as precipitation, evaporation, and temperature, as well as the influence of land use factors on lake area change, were analyzed. The results showed that Namtso, Selinco, Zhari Namco, Qinghai Lake, Xingkai Lake, and Taihu Lake belong to the growth type lakesl Hongze Lake, Poyang Lake, and Dongting Lake belong to the non-obvious change type lakes; and Bosten Lake and Hulun Lake belong to the reduction type lakes. Hongze Lake and Poyang Lake were greatly affected by precipitation; Xingkai Lake, Selinco, and Zhari Namco were greatly affected by evaporation and temperature. The impact of land use on lakes was mainly reflected in the following aspects: fishery breeding activities along the lakes, agricultural production activities of cultivated land around the lakes, human activities of construction land, and industrial activities of industrial land. Hydroweb/Landsat Data combined with DSAS can effectively conduct spatial analysis of changes in the lake area and provide valuable information for environmental protection of lakes in China.