Changing pattern and driving factors of ecosystem service value of the lakes in Northern China since 1990

Abstract

Lakes in Northern China are widely distributed with large surface areas, and play a crucial role in maintaining ecological security in the northern regions of China. In this study, based on the relationship between ecosystem services (ES) value and lake key indicators, including lake area, potential evapotranspiration, comprehensive trophic level index (TLI), precipitation, and lake volume, the lake ecoservice production functions (LEPFs) were constructed to evaluate lake ecosystem service value (LESV) in Northern China. Subsequently, the driving factors influencing LESV were identified at the lake-basin scale. The results showed that the total LESV in Northern China increased from 5,088.7 billion yuan in 1990 to 5,112.9 billion yuan in 2020, by increasing 0.47%. The total LESV of Xinjiang (XJ) and Tibetan Plateau (TP) lake regions showed an increasing trend, with rates of 5.39% and 2.32%, respectively. However, those of Inner Mongolia Plateau (IMP), Northeast Plain and Mountains (NPM), and Eastern Plain (EP) lake regions showed a decrease, with rates of 19.83%, 6.29%, and 1.72%, respectively. The changing rate in LESV varied significantly among different lake regions. Approximately 30% and 40% of the lakes in XJ and TP lake regions had a growth rate exceeding 0.3 billion yuan, while 86% and 14% of lakes in NPM and IMP lake regions experienced a decline exceeding 0.3 billion yuan, respectively. 40% of the lakes in EP lake region had a growth rate of less than 0.05 billion yuan, and 60% of the lakes had a decline rate of less than 0.05 billion yuan. The average temperature, precipitation, impervious area, and water area within the lake-basins had a significant impact on LESV. Among them, the effect of climate change on LESV was higher than that of the anthropogenic factors. These findings can provide helpful references for the assessing methods of the LESV at a large regional scale and developing lake conservation policies.

Keywords

• Lakes in Northern China
• Ecosystem service value
• Spatiotemporal change
• Driving factors