Detection and attribution of lake water loss in the semi‐arid Mongolian Plateau—A case study in the Lake Dalinor

Abstract

Extensive lake shrinkages have been observed in the semi‐arid Mongolian Plateau over the past several decades, causing a great challenge to the local socio‐economic sustainability and ecological security. However, issue on the dominant drivers of this water loss has not been well addressed. In this work, variations in water area and water level of the Lake Dalinor during the period 1984–2018 were tracked using the satellite altimetry and Landsat images. Dominant drivers for the derived variations were then investigated based on the Standard Precipitation Evaporation Index (SPEI) analysis and the Vegetation Interface Processes model. Results showed that both the water area and water level displayed a two‐stage variation with a slightly increasing trend before 2000 and a drastic decline since 2000 (p < 0.01). The SPEI analysis revealed a close relationship between water level variations and the cumulative water anomalies at seasonal and annual scales. The model‐based attribution analysis suggested that climate change and anthropogenic impacts contributed 76.5% and 23.5% of the observed declining trend, respectively. Climate warming and drying dominated the water level decline since 2000, while the large‐scale conversion from the natural grassland to the seeded pasture might have accelerated this water loss process. This study confirmed the prominent impacts of climate warming and drying on the lake desiccation in the semi‐arid Mongolian Plateau and highlighted the gradually intensifying impacts of human activities such as grassland conversion on the lake water budget.

Management of sustainable ecological water levels of endorheic salt lakes in the Inner Mongolian Plateau of China based on eco‐hydrological processes

“…On the contrary, Li et al (2017) found that decreasing precipitation drove the reduction of the Dalinor Lake basin, while rising temperature and vegetation greenness accelerated this trend. Bai et al (2021) concluded that climate change and anthropogenic impacts contributed 76.5 and 23.5% of the observed lake area declining trend according to the model‐based attribution analysis. Wei (2019) also found that the water surface of the Dalinor Lake was significantly correlated with the annual precipitation.…”

Separating climate change and vegetation dynamics contributions to soil drying over drylands of China: A case study in the West Liao River Basin

“…Soil water movement is described using the layered water balance equation derived from the discretized Richards equation. The VIP model has been successfully applied to ecohydrological studies in North China Plain (Hu et al, 2014; Mo, Liu, Lin, & Guo, 2009; Mo et al, 2017), North‐eastern China (Mo et al, 2014) and the Loess Plateau (Bai et al, 2019; Liu et al, 2009; Mo, Liu, Chen, et al, 2009), as well as the endorheic Mongolian Plateau (Bai et al, 2020). Details of the VIP model can be seen in Mo, Beven, et al (2004) and Mo, Liu, et al (2004).…”

How Does the Water Conservation Function of Hulunbuir Forest–Steppe Ecotone Respond to Climate Change and Land Use Change?

“…The Hulunbuir forest-steppe ecotone is a channel for water resources exchange between two important ecological function areas and an important ecological barrier area in the north of China, which is of strategic importance for maintaining sustainable development and water resources management planning in northeast and even north China. However, the water conservation of the Hulunbuir foreststeppe ecotone has decreased in the past 20 years, which indicated the deterioration of the ecological environment in this area [10][11][12][13]. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the awareness of the ecological environment and water resources protection and take effective measures in time.…”

“…In recent years, data from several studies suggested that the forest-steppe ecotone was disturbed by global climate change and human activities resulting in significant variations in landscape patterns, severe aridity of habitats, drying of lakes, shrinking wetlands, and decreasing water yield [10][11][12][13][14][15]. These phenomena have become significant ecological problems restricting the sustainable development of regional resources, environment, and social economy.…”