Abstract
Increasing air temperature is a significant feature of climate warming, and is cause for some concern, particularly on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A lack of observations means that the impact of rising air temperatures on TP lakes has received little attention. Lake surfaces play a unique role in determining local and regional climate. This study analyzed the effect of increasing air temperature on lake surface temperature (LST), latent heat flux (LE), sensible heat flux (H), and ice phenology at Lake Nam Co and Lake Ngoring, which have mean depths of approximately 40 m and 25 m, respectively, and are in the central and eastern TP, respectively. The variables were simulated using an adjusted Fresh-water Lake (FLake) model (FLake_α_ice = 0.15). The simulated results were evaluated against in situ observations of LST, LE and H, and against LST data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for 2015 to 2016. The simulations show that when the air temperature increases, LST increases, and the rate of increase is greater in winter than in summer; annual LE increases; H and ice thickness decrease; ice freeze-up date is delayed; and the break-up date advances. The changes in the variables in response to the temperature increases are similar at the two lakes from August to December, but are significantly different from December to July.
Highlights
Climate change has received much attention in recent decades
The lake surface temperature is affected by the interactions between the atmosphere and the skin layer, and between the skin layer and the water column [11]. The former interaction is governed by four primary meteorological variables: solar radiation, atmospheric humidity, air temperature, and wind speed; while the latter is controlled by the energy stored in the water body [12,13]
Our goal is to investigate the response of lake ice phenology, lake surface temperature (LST), sensible heat flux (H) and latent heat flux (LE) to rising air temperature for two different lakes (Lake Nam Co and Lake Ngoring) on the Tibetan Plateau (TP)
Summary
Climate change has received much attention in recent decades. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I’s contribution to the IPCC Fifth. Differences between land and lake surfaces mean that lakes play a unique role in determining local and regional climate, for example through their low albedo, small roughness length, and high heat capacity [2,3,4]. Studies have shown that the area, level and volume of lakes on the TP decreased slightly from 1976 to the mid-1990s, and increased rapidly [25] These lakes play an important role in the global water cycle and the Asian monsoon system. Our goal is to investigate the response of lake ice phenology, lake surface temperature (LST), sensible heat flux (H) and latent heat flux (LE) to rising air temperature for two different lakes (Lake Nam Co and Lake Ngoring) on the TP. Lake Ngoring for ice albedo, and at Lake Nam Co for lake surface temperature (LST), sensible heat flux (H) and laten2t.2h.eDaattaflux (LE) is marked
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