Lake volume variation in the endorheic basin of the Tibetan Plateau from 1989 to 2019

Abstract

Lake storage change serves as a unique indicator of natural climate change on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, comprehensive lake storage data, especially for lakes smaller than 10 km2, are still lacking in the region. In this dataset, we completed a census of annual relative lake volume (RLV) for 976 lakes, which are larger than 1 km2, on the endorheic basin of the Tibetan Plateau (EBTP) during 1989–2019 using Landsat imagery and digital terrain models. Our method first identifies individual lakes, determines their analysis extents and calculates annual lake area from Landsat imagery. It then derives lake area-elevation relationship, estimates lake surface elevation, and calculates RLV. Validation and comparison with several existing datasets indicate our data are more reliable and comprehensive. Our study complements existing lake datasets by providing a complete and long-term lake water volume change data for the region.