Variations in glacier volume and snow cover and their impact on lake storage in the Paiku Co Basin, in the Central Himalayas

Abstract

Glaciers and snow cover are important constituents of the surface of the Tibetan Plateau. The responses of these phenomena to global environmental changes are sensitive, rapid and intensive due to the high altitudes and arid cold climate of the Tibetan Plateau. Based on multisource remote sensing data, including Landsat images, MOD10A2 snow product, ICESat, Cryosat-2 altimetry data and long-term ground climate observations, we analysed the dynamic changes of glaciers, snow melting and lake in the Paiku Co basin using extraction methods for glaciers and lake, the degree-day model and the ice and lake volume method. The interaction among the climate, ice-snow and the hydrological elements in Paiku Co is revealed. From 2000 to 2018, the basin tended to be drier, and rainfall decreased at a rate of −3.07 mm/a. The seasonal temperature difference in the basin increased, the maximum temperature increased at a rate of 0.02 C/a and the minimum temperature decreased at a rate of −0.06 C/a, which accelerated the melting from glaciers and snow at rates of 0.55 × 10 7 m 3 /a and 0.29 × 10 7 m 3 /a, respectively. The rate of contribution to the lake from rainfall, snow and glacier melted water was 55.6, 27.7 and 16.7%, respectively. In the past 18 years, the warmer and drier climate has caused the lake to shrink. The water level of the lake continued to decline at a rate of −0.02 m/a, and the lake water volume decreased by 4.85 × 10 8 m 3 at a rate of −0.27 × 10 8 m 3 /a from 2000 to 2018. This evaluation is important for understanding how the snow and ice melting in the central Himalayas affect the regional water cycle.

Monitoring of Hydrological Resources in Surface Water Change by Satellite Altimetry

“…On the other hand, using multi-source altimetry data and GRACE data to study lake water storage changes and lake water balance analysis in the Tibetan Plateau region verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of altimetry data for monitoring inland lakes, but the accuracy of altimetry data still needs further improvement. The contribution of glaciers to the lake water balance cannot be quantitatively estimated and further research is needed [186][187][188][189].…”