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Arid Land Geography >

2024 , Vol. 47 >Issue 7: 1116 - 1126

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.091

The Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition

Changes in water volume of Ayakkum Lake in the eastern Kunlun Mountains and its replenishment relationship in the last 30 years

  • CHE Yanjun ,
  • ZHANG Mingjun ,
  • CHEN Yaning ,
  • ZHU Chenggang ,
  • LIU Yuting
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  • 1. Department of Geographical Science, Yichun University, Yichun 336000, Jiangxi, China
    2. College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
    3. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China
    4. College of Life and Geographical Sciences, Kashi University, Kashi 844000, Xinjiang, China

Received date: 2024-02-15

  Revised date: 2024-04-22

  Online published: 2024-07-30

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Abstract

With the warming of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the trend of increase in the number and size of plateau lakes is on the rise, with a noticeable expansion of lakes over the Kumkuli Basin in the eastern Kunlun Mountains. Ayakkum Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Kumkuli Basin, and the Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition data indicates that the lake has expanded to become the largest lake in Xinjiang. Based on the expedition data and remote sensing imagery, this study analyzes and subsequently discusses the change in the water volume of Ayakkum Lake and replenishment of its water sources, including glacier, permafrost, temperature, and precipitation. The results show that: (1) The area of Ayakkum Lake expanded from 623.03 km² in 1990 to 1141.67 km² in 2023, and the lake level rose by 7.28 m from 2002 to 2023, corresponding to an increase in water storage of 66.64×108 m³. (2) The glacier area in the Ayakkum Lake Basin decreased by 16.4 km² from 1990 to 2023, with a volume reduction of 1.96 km³. Until 2023, there were 451 glaciers with a total area of 324.26 km² in the region. (3) A distribution map of permafrost over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in 2010 shows that the continuous permafrost area was 12395 km² and seasonal permafrost area was 10652 km². (4) A water balance analysis of the area indicates that glacier and permafrost meltwater account for 9% and 5% of the total inflow into Ayakkum Lake, respectively, whereas runoff from land surface precipitation in seasonal frost and permafrost regions accounts for 67% of the total inflow into Ayakkum Lake. Additionally, replenishment to the lake water surface via direct precipitation accounts for 19% of the total inflow into Ayakkum Lake. In other words, the expansion of the lake mainly resulted from an increase in precipitation over the Ayakkum Lake Basin. This study reveals the land surface hydrological processes in the Kumkuli Basin and provides reference for local governments to optimize water resource allocation and management.

Key words： water balance; Ayakkum Lake; Kumkuli Basin; glaciers; eastern Kunlun Mountains

Cite this article

CHE Yanjun , ZHANG Mingjun , CHEN Yaning , ZHU Chenggang , LIU Yuting . Changes in water volume of Ayakkum Lake in the eastern Kunlun Mountains and its replenishment relationship in the last 30 years[J]. Arid Land Geography, 2024 , 47(7) : 1116 -1126 . DOI: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.091

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