Climate change leads to a doubling of turbidity in a rapidly expanding Tibetan lake.

Autor: Mi H; College of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA., Fagherazzi S; Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA., Qiao G; College of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: qiaogang@tongji.edu.cn., Hong Y; College of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA., Fichot CG; Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: cgfichot@bu.edu.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2019 Oct 20; Vol. 688, pp. 952-959. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Jun 23.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.339
Abstrakt: Recent climate change is causing most lakes on the Tibetan Plateau to grow at an unprecedented rate. Changes in the physical properties and water storage of the lakes are now relatively well documented. Yet the impacts on their water quality remain poorly understood. Turbidity is a well-established optical water-quality indicator related to suspended particulate matter concentration which can affect vertical light attenuation and ecosystem functioning. Here, we use remotely sensed data to assess the seasonal and long-term variations in turbidity in Siling Lake, one of the fastest growing lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, and to identify potential driving mechanisms of this change. The lake experiences two distinct peaks of turbidity during the year: one in August (warm season) caused by the seasonal influx of sediments from the Zagya Zangbo River, and one in December (cold season) caused by the wind-driven resuspension of sediments along the lakes' shorelines. The analysis further revealed a persistent increasing trend that doubled the average lake turbidity between 2000 and 2017. Evidence suggests this rise in turbidity results from a climate-driven increase in sediment supply from the Zagya Zangbo River, and from sediment resuspension associated with the erosion of shorelines recently submerged during the rapid expansion of the lake (paleoshorelines). Our results highlight the vulnerability of the Tibetan Lakes' water quality to climate change.
(Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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