CollectHomepage AdvertisementContact usMessage

Arid Land Geography ›› 2024, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (8): 1263-1276.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.166

• The Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Estimation of evaporation loss from typical lakes in the Kumukuli Basin, East Kunlun Mountains

LI Zhi1(), ZHU Chenggang1(), WANG Jiayou1,2, LIU Yongchang1,2, WANG Chuan1,2, ZHANG Xueqi1, HAN Shiru1,2, FANG Gonghuan1   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2024-03-13 Revised:2024-03-26 Online:2024-08-25 Published:2024-09-02
  • Contact: ZHU Chenggang E-mail:liz@ms.xjb.ac.cn;zhuchg@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Abstract:

Estimating lake water evaporation losses is of significant importance for addressing water scarcity in arid regions and for the protection of lake ecosystems. This study analyzed the spatiotemporal variations of actual evapotranspiration (ET) in three typical lakes within the Kumukuli Basin of East Kunlun Mountains over the past 20 years. Using empirical formulas, we estimated the evaporation losses and applied a random forest model to identify potential factors influencing changes in lake water evaporation. This study examines the spatiotemporal variation in ET of typical lakes in the Kumukuli Basin of East Kunlun Mountains using PML-V2 data, estimates water loss due to lake evaporation through empirical formulas, and explores the influencing factors of lake ET changes using a random forest model. Key findings include (1) From 2001 to 2020, the annual ET of Ayakkum Lake, Aqqikkol Lake, and Whale Lake exhibited a fluctuating trend, initially increasing, then decreasing, and subsequently showing a gradual increase, with peak and trough occurring in 2004 and 2012, respectively. (2) The ET of the three lakes demonstrated an inverted U-shaped pattern within the year, with Ayakkum Lake peaking in June and the other two lakes in July. Aqqikkol Lake exhibited a relatively gentle increase, while Whale Lake saw a significant rise from May to July, reaching 48.45 mm·month-1. (3) During the same period, the evaporation water volume of the three lakes increased, with Ayakkum Lake recording the highest at 10.33×108 m³·a-1, followed by Aqqikkol Lake at 4.54×108 m³·a-1, and Whale Lake at 3.33×108 m³·a-1. (4) Analysis using the random forest model indicates that lake area significantly influences evaporation volume. Additional factors, including increases in wind speed, maximum temperature, and precipitation, also drive evaporation changes, contributing over 45% cumulatively.

Key words: high mountain lake area change, evaporation loss water volume, driving factors, Kumukuli Basin, East Kunlun Mountains