Investigation of dynamic lake changes in Zhuonai Lake–Salt Lake Basin, Hoh Xil, using remote sensing images in response to climate change (1989–2018)

Over the past three decades, the combined area of four lakes in the Zhuonai Lake–Salt Lake Basin, part of Qinghai Hoh Xilhas expanded by 18% due to climate change. This finding stems from an analysis of remote sensing data spanning 1989 to 2018, which revealed that increased precipitation and decreased lake evaporation were the primary drivers behind this expansion. Researchers used meteorological data from 28 stations and a single-layer lake evaporation model to quantify these changes, showing that annual evaporation declined sharply after 1995 while precipitation rose, leading to net growth in lake volume. Lake evaporation emerged as the dominant factor influencing areal changes, with total evaporation ranging between 615.37 and 921.66 mm annually during the study period.

Hu, Z., Tan, D., Wen, X., Chen, B., & Shen, D. (2021). Investigation of dynamic lake changes in Zhuonai Lake–Salt Lake Basin, Hoh Xil, using remote sensing images in response to climate change (1989–2018). Journal of Water and Climate Change, 12(6), 2199–2216. https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2021.285