ICESat-2 data-based monitoring of 2018—2021 variations in the water levels of lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
MA Shanmu1,2(), GAN Fuping3(), WU Huaichun1,2, YAN Bokun3
1. State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China 2. School of Ocean Sciences, China University of Geosciences(Beijing), Beijing 100083, China 3. China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, Beijing 100083, China
The variation in the water levels of lakes is an important indicator for the study of changes in climate and ecological environment and water resources rating. It was previously difficult for altimetry satellites to monitor small and medium-sized lakes, but the newly launched ICESat-2 satellite can improve the monitoring comprehensiveness and precision of lakes’ water levels. Based on the data coverage of ICESat-2 satellite land observation products, the high-precision dynamic monitoring of water levels was conducted for 473 lakes covering an area greater than 1 km2 in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from October 2018 to April 2021. The spatio-temporal variations of water levels of these lakes were analyzed from three aspects: the overall variations in the water levels of lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the basin-scaled and regional variations in the water levels of lakes, and the monthly or quarterly variation trends of water levels of typical lakes. The study results are as follows. In the past three years, the water levels of lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau continuously rose, with an average annual rate of variation of 0.013 m/a. The water levels of large, medium-sized, and small lakes rose significantly, rose gently, and dropped slightly, respectively. In terms of spatial distribution, the water levels of lakes in each basin generally showed an upward trend, and most of the lakes with declining water levels had relatively high elevations. During the monitoring period, the water level of Siling Co Lake rose by 1 m and that of Kering Tso Lake declined by 1 m. This study provides the latest monitoring data on the water levels of some lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which are conducive to the study of dynamic variation monitoring of lakes.
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