IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i2p711-d310403.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Anthropogenic Influences on Environmental Changes of Lake Bosten, the Largest Inland Freshwater Lake in China

Author

Listed:
  • Wen Liu

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10049, China)

  • Long Ma

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10049, China)

  • Jilili Abuduwaili

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10049, China)

Abstract

A short lacustrine sediment core (41 cm) from Lake Bosten in arid central Asia was used to investigate the environmental changes that occurred in the past ≈150 years based on the superposition of climate and anthropogenic factors. Geochemical elements, total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN), and stable isotope data (δ 13 C org and δ 15 N) were used to identify abnormal environmental changes. The average C/N ratio in the sediments of Lake Bosten suggested that the organic matter in lake sediments was mainly from aquatic plants. The δ 13 C org and δ 15 N in the lake sediments mainly reflect changes in the structure of the lake’s ecosystem. Before the 1960s, the primary productivity of the lake was relatively low with a relatively stable lake water environment. From the 1960s to the mid-1980s, the lake’s ecosystem was closely related to a significant decline in water levels caused by human activities and an increase in salinity. From the late 1980s to ≈2000, the aquatic plant structure of Lake Bosten did not change significantly. After 2000, the upper part of the sedimentary record suggested enhanced productivity due to urban and industrial development in the catchment area. However, sedimentary perspectives of the responses of different environmental proxies in sediments to human activities were anisochronous, and the increasing heavy metal (Pb and Cu) and P accumulations appeared in 1970, reflecting heightened human impacts. Through the comparison between the Aral Sea and Lake Bosten, it was inferred that, under the intervention of human activities, the lake experienced a completely different evolution trend. Humans, as geological agents, should protect our living environment while satisfying social development. The results will provide an important supplement to a large spatial scale study of the influences of human activities on the environment in Central Asia, which also has some significant implications for the protection of the ecological environment and the realization of sustainable development in arid regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Wen Liu & Long Ma & Jilili Abuduwaili, 2020. "Anthropogenic Influences on Environmental Changes of Lake Bosten, the Largest Inland Freshwater Lake in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-14, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:2:p:711-:d:310403
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/2/711/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/2/711/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Simon L. Lewis & Mark A. Maslin, 2015. "Defining the Anthropocene," Nature, Nature, vol. 519(7542), pages 171-180, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wen Liu & Long Ma & Jilili Abuduwaili & Gulnura Issanova & Galymzhan Saparov, 2021. "Sediment Organic Carbon Sequestration of Balkhash Lake in Central Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Kenanga Sari & Tri Retnaningsih Soeprobowati & Jumari Jumari & Riche Hariyati & Jerry R. Miller, 2021. "Trace Metals and Diatom Stratigraphy along the Sill between Lakes Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon, Dieng, Central Java, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-14, March.
    3. Zhilong Zhao & Zengzeng Hu & Jun Zhou & Ruliang Kan & Wangjun Li, 2023. "Response of Two Major Lakes in the Changtang National Nature Reserve, Tibetan Plateau to Climate and Anthropogenic Changes over the Past 50 Years," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Beata Ferencz & Jarosław Dawidek, 2021. "Assessment of Spatial and Vertical Variability of Water Quality: Case Study of a Polymictic Polish Lake," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-13, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tironi, Martín & Rivera Lisboa, Diego Ignacio, 2023. "Artificial intelligence in the new forms of environmental governance in the Chilean State: Towards an eco-algorithmic governance," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    2. Feng, Rundong & Wang, Kaiyong, 2022. "The direct and lag effects of administrative division adjustment on urban expansion patterns in Chinese mega-urban agglomerations," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    3. Jennifer B Tennessen & Marla M Holt & Brianna M Wright & M Bradley Hanson & Candice K Emmons & Deborah A Giles & Jeffrey T Hogan & Sheila J Thornton & Volker B Deecke, 2023. "Divergent foraging strategies between populations of sympatric matrilineal killer whales," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 34(3), pages 373-386.
    4. Felipe Vásquez & Gibran Vita & Daniel B. Müller, 2018. "Food Security for an Aging and Heavier Population," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-19, October.
    5. Marco Filippo Torchio & Umberto Lucia & Giulia Grisolia, 2020. "Economic and Human Features for Energy and Environmental Indicators: A Tool to Assess Countries’ Progress towards Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-19, November.
    6. Joseph Ching & Mizuo Kajino, 2020. "Rethinking Air Quality and Climate Change after COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-11, July.
    7. Cecília Szigeti & Zoltán Major & Dániel Róbert Szabó & Áron Szennay, 2023. "The Ecological Footprint of Construction Materials—A Standardized Approach from Hungary," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, January.
    8. Ove Eriksson, 2016. "Historical and Current Niche Construction in an Anthropogenic Biome: Old Cultural Landscapes in Southern Scandinavia," Land, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-17, November.
    9. Rachel Mazac & Hanna L. Tuomisto, 2020. "The Post-Anthropocene Diet: Navigating Future Diets for Sustainable Food Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-15, March.
    10. Li, Xiaoliang & Wu, Kening & Yang, Qijun & Hao, Shiheng & Feng, Zhe & Ma, Jinliang, 2023. "Quantitative assessment of cultivated land use intensity in Heilongjiang Province, China, 2001–2015," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    11. Feng Kong & Shao Sun, 2021. "Better Understanding the Catastrophe Risk in Interconnection and Comprehensive Disaster Risk Defense Capability, with Special Reference to China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-11, February.
    12. Stefano Bianchini & Giacomo Damioli & Claudia Ghisetti, 2023. "The environmental effects of the “twin” green and digital transition in European regions," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(4), pages 877-918, April.
    13. Eva Michaeli & Vladimír Solár & Matúš Maxin & Jozef Vilček & Martin Boltižiar, 2021. "The Nature of the Technosols on the Waste from Nickel Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, January.
    14. Kaisa Vehmas & Nancy Bocken & Hannamaija Tuovila, 2024. "Understanding Consumer Attitudes Towards Sustainable Business Models—A Qualitative Study with Finnish Consumers," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 1487-1512, June.
    15. Thibaud Gruber & Lydia Luncz & Julia Mörchen & Caroline Schuppli & Rachel L. Kendal & Kimberley Hockings, 2019. "Cultural change in animals: a flexible behavioural adaptation to human disturbance," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-9, December.
    16. Seray Ergene & Subhabrata Bobby Banerjee & Erim Ergene, 2024. "Environmental Racism and Climate (In)Justice in the Anthropocene: Addressing the Silences and Erasures in Management and Organization Studies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 193(4), pages 785-800, September.
    17. Zhiting Chen & Qing Ren & Tian Zhang & Zhewen Kang & Xiaoyan Huang & Peng Li & Xiaohu Dang & Xiaoshu Cao & Mingjiang Deng, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Human Critical Area (HCA) in the “Three Water Lines” Region of Northwest China and the Impact of Socioeconomic Factors between 2000 and 2020," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, May.
    18. Garrath T. Wilson & Tracy Bhamra, 2020. "Design for Sustainability: The Need for a New Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-8, April.
    19. Nathalie Rühs & Aled Jones, 2016. "The Implementation of Earth Jurisprudence through Substantive Constitutional Rights of Nature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-19, February.
    20. Paula Botella & Salvador Baena-Morales & Olalla García-Taibo & Alberto Ferriz-Valero, 2022. "Effects of Self-Construction of Materials on the Ecological Awareness of Physical Education Primary School Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-13, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:2:p:711-:d:310403. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.