The Temporal and Spatial Variations in Lake Surface Areas in Xinjiang, China

Yuting Liu,Yaning Chen,Weihong Li,Jing Yang,Gonghuan Fang

doi:10.3390/w10040431

Abstract

In arid areas, lakes play important roles in sustaining the local ecology, mitigating flood hazard, and restricting economic activity of society. In this study, we used multi-temporal satellite data to study annual variations in 16 natural lakes with individual surface areas over 10 km2, categorized into six regions based on their geographical and climatic information and on their relations with climate variables. Results indicated that annual variations in lake surface areas are different across these six regions. The surface area of Kanas Lake has not obviously changed due to its typical U-shape cross section; the areas of Ulungur Lake and Jili Lake increased sharply in the 1980s and then slightly decreased; the areas of Sayram Lake, Ebinur Lake, and Bosten Lake increased and then decreased, with peaks detected in the early 2000s; the areas of Barkol Lake and Toale Culler decreased, while those of the lakes located in the Kunlun Mountains steadily increased. Lake areas also show various relationships with climate variables. There is no obvious relationship between area and climate variables in Kanas Lake due to the specific lake morphology; the areas of most lakes showed positive correlations with annual precipitation (except Sayram Lake). A negative correlation between area and temperature were detected in Ulungur Lake, Jili Lake, Barkol Lake, and Toale Culler, while positive correlations were suggested in Bosten Lake and the lakes in the Kunlun Mountains (e.g., Saligil Kollakan Lake, Aksai Chin Lake, and Urukkule Lake).

Highlights

In arid areas, lakes play important roles in sustaining local ecology, mitigating flood hazard, and restricting economic activity of society [1,2,3,4]
annual mean temperature (AMT) ranges from −6.6 to 3.3 ◦ C with a mean −1.0 ◦ C and annual precipitation (AP) from 157 to 567 mm with a mean of 303 mm
We used multi-temporal satellite data to study annual variations in 16 natural lakes with individual surface areas over 10 km2, which were categorized into six regions based on their geographical and climate information and on their relations with climate variables

Summary

Introduction

Lakes play important roles in sustaining local ecology, mitigating flood hazard, and restricting economic activity of society [1,2,3,4]. In addition to the environment, lakes significantly contribute to the local economy development in Xinjiang, e.g., the tourism in Kanas Lake and Tianchi Lake [6,7], salt mining factories in Barkol Lake, and Toale Culler. Lakes are very sensitive to climate change [12]. According to [13], for the period of 1961–2008, the average annual temperature increased by 0.30 ◦ C per decade and the annual mean precipitation increased significantly in Xinjiang. It is very important to study their dynamics and how they change with climate variables

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion