Lakes as sentinels of climate change on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Weather station observations reveal that the Tibetan Plateau climate has been becoming warmer and wetter since the 1950s. However, the weather stations are dominantly located in the eastern plateau. The widespread and dense distribution of lakes over the Tibetan Plateau with negligible direct human influence can act as sentinels of climate change. The warmer climate can be sensed from higher lake surface water temperature, thinner lake ice, and shorter periods of lake ice duration. The wetter climate is clearly revealed by increasing land surface runoff, rising lake levels, and expanding lake areas. Qinghai Lake, the largest lake in the region with the longest record of gauge measurements, is used as a case study to reveal these changes. Remote sensing observations combined with field surveys and model simulations will further improve our understanding of the lakes’ state, fate, and effect.

Keywords

• lake
• tibetan plateau
• climate change
• remote sensing
• gauge measurement