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. 2017 Jan;189(1):14.
doi: 10.1007/s10661-016-5721-5. Epub 2016 Dec 13.

Climatic implications on variations of Qehan Lake in the arid regions of Inner Mongolia during the recent five decades

Xi Chun  1 , Riguge Su  2 , Jiyao Liu  3 , Wenjun Liang  4 , Mei Yong  3 , Khkhuudei Ulambadrakh  5
Affiliations

Climatic implications on variations of Qehan Lake in the arid regions of Inner Mongolia during the recent five decades

Xi Chun et al. Environ Monit Assess. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

The Qehan Lake Basin (QLB) and its system of lakes are located in a marginal monsoon zone and are extremely sensitive to global climate change. In this paper, using aerial photographs from different periods, in addition to MSS, TM, and ETM images, and combining these with regional topographic maps, we analyze lake area changes from 1958 to 2010 and the relation between Qehan Lake (QL) and climate variability. Our results indicate that there was a relatively high lake level in 1959, when the area and volume of the lake were 118.9 km2 and 151.9 × 106 m3, respectively, but this level was subject to a shrinking trend until 2010, when the lake area was only 28.1 km2, and the water volume was 41.1 × 106 m3. West Qehan Lake (WQL) has experienced severe water shrinkage and lake level fluctuation. In 1958, WQL was 80.2 km2 in area and 124.1 × 106 m3 in volume. However, due to a rapid decrease in precipitation and increases in both temperature and evaporation, it began to dry up in 2002. The WQL Water area decreased by 1.82 km2/a, and the lake level declined by 7 m during 1958-2002, so it became an ephemeral lake.

Keywords: Climatic change; Inner Mongolia; Lake level fluctuation; Semi-arid environment; Wetlands.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
a Map of North China. b Qehan Lake (QL) catchment and location of four meteorological stations. c Qehan Lake area
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
a Changes in the Qehan Lake (QL) area for different periods. b DEM diagram of lake depth
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Sequential Mann–Kendall test for a annual temperature and b annual precipitation of each site
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Site temperatures (black line) and precipitation values (blue line) versus trends in WQL and QL area (black line) and volume (blue line), 1958–2010
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Relation between reductions in West Qehan Lake (WQL) water volumes. a Mean annual temperature. b Mean annual precipitation. c Mean annual evaporation, 1958–2002
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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