IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2023i1p211-d1307725.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Terminal Lakes in the Hexi Interior, China

Author

Listed:
  • Qin Ma

    (College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
    Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Xiaojun Yao

    (College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
    Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Lanzhou 730070, China
    Academician’s Studio of Gansu Dayu Jiuzhou Space Information Technology Company Limited, Lanzhou 730050, China)

  • Cong Zhang

    (College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
    Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Chen Yang

    (College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
    Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Kang Yang

    (College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
    Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Zhijuan Tian

    (College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
    Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Jiawei Li

    (College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
    Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Lanzhou 730070, China)

Abstract

The evolution of a terminal lake at the end of a river not only reflects the climate change characteristics within the basin but also the impact of regional human activities, especially in arid areas. In the Hexi Interior of China, three terminal lakes (e.g., Halaqi Lake, East Juyanhai Lake, and Qingtu Lake) situated in the Shule River, Heihe River and Shiyang River, respectively, have been increasingly studied to support regional ecological protection and sustainable oasis development. In this study, Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI imagery were used to examine Halaqi Lake spanning from 2017 to 2022, East Juyanhai Lake from 1990 to 2022, and Qingtu Lake from 2009 to 2022. The focus of this investigation was to characterize changes in lake area and the impact of climate change and human activities. The results revealed a dramatic change in Halaqi Lake, which suddenly emerged in 2017, initially covering an area of 13.49 km 2 , gradually vanishing nearly in 2021, and reappearing in 2022 with a reduced area of 9.53 km 2 . The area of East Juyanhai Lake was 54.39 km 2 in 1990 but reduced to 40.84 km 2 by 2022. Throughout this period, it encountered episodes of drying up in 1992, 1995, 2001, and 2002. Qingtu Lake emerged in 2009, with an area of 0.09 km 2 , and subsequently expanded to 2.60 km 2 by 2022. Climate change and human activities collectively influence the area fluctuations of these three terminal lakes. Among these factors, temperature changes have a greater impact on the lake area in East Juyanhai. Global warming has worsened glacier melting in the Qilian Mountains, resulting in increased inflow in certain years and substantial lake area expansion. Human activities are the primary drivers of changes in Halaqi Lake and Qingtu Lake. Industrial water consumption is the key factor influencing area changes in Halaqi Lake, whereas water usage in forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries plays a dominant role in the area changes of Qingtu Lake. Furthermore, the introduction of ecological water conveyance projects has had an indispensable effect on rejuvenating and preserving the watershed areas of these three terminal lakes. It is important to emphasize that human-driven water resource management is the primary cause of sudden changes in the lake areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Qin Ma & Xiaojun Yao & Cong Zhang & Chen Yang & Kang Yang & Zhijuan Tian & Jiawei Li, 2023. "Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Terminal Lakes in the Hexi Interior, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-18, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2023:i:1:p:211-:d:1307725
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/1/211/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/1/211/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ali Torabi Haghighi & Nasim Fazel & Ali Akbar Hekmatzadeh & Björn Klöve, 2018. "Analysis of Effective Environmental Flow Release Strategies for Lake Urmia Restoration," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 32(11), pages 3595-3609, September.
    2. Xunzhou Chunyu & Feng Huang & Ziqiang Xia & Danrong Zhang & Xi Chen & Yongyu Xie, 2019. "Assessing the Ecological Effects of Water Transport to a Lake in Arid Regions: A Case Study of Qingtu Lake in Shiyang River Basin, Northwest China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Ling Zhang & Zhuotong Nan & Yi Xu & Shuo Li, 2016. "Hydrological Impacts of Land Use Change and Climate Variability in the Headwater Region of the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-25, June.
    4. Bao, Chao & Fang, Chuang-lin, 2007. "Water resources constraint force on urbanization in water deficient regions: A case study of the Hexi Corridor, arid area of NW China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(3-4), pages 508-517, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Juan Li & Xunzhou Chunyu & Feng Huang, 2022. "Land Use Pattern Changes and the Driving Forces in the Shiyang River Basin from 2000 to 2018," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-27, December.
    2. Li, Xiaolin & Tong, Ling & Niu, Jun & Kang, Shaozhong & Du, Taisheng & Li, Sien & Ding, Risheng, 2017. "Spatio-temporal distribution of irrigation water productivity and its driving factors for cereal crops in Hexi Corridor, Northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 55-63.
    3. Lou, Bo & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2013. "Identifying the environmental support and constraints to the Chinese economic growth—An application of the Emergy Accounting method," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 217-233.
    4. Boyu Wang & Xiang Gao, 2021. "Temporal and spatial variations of water resources constraint intensity on urbanization in the Shiyang River Basin, China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(7), pages 10038-10055, July.
    5. Feng Huang & Danrong Zhang & Xi Chen, 2019. "Vegetation Response to Groundwater Variation in Arid Environments: Visualization of Research Evolution, Synthesis of Response Types, and Estimation of Groundwater Threshold," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-15, May.
    6. Kaize Zhang & Juqin Shen & Ran He & Bihang Fan & Han Han, 2019. "Dynamic Analysis of the Coupling Coordination Relationship between Urbanization and Water Resource Security and Its Obstacle Factor," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-16, November.
    7. Vitus Tankpa & Li Wang & Alfred Awotwi & Leelamber Singh & Samit Thapa & Raphael Ane Atanga & Xiaomeng Guo, 2021. "Modeling the effects of historical and future land use/land cover change dynamics on the hydrological response of Ashi watershed, northeastern China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 7883-7912, May.
    8. Mingguang Tu & Futao Wang & Yi Zhou & Shixin Wang, 2016. "Gridded Water Resource Distribution Simulation for China Based on Third-Order Basin Data from 2002," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-14, December.
    9. Yuepeng Liu & Chuanfeng Yang & Xinyang Yu & Mengwen Wang & Wei Qi, 2021. "Monitoring the Landscape Pattern and Characteristics of Non-Point Source Pollution in a Mountainous River Basin," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-15, October.
    10. Mudassar Iqbal & Jun Wen & Muhammad Masood & Muhammad Umer Masood & Muhammad Adnan, 2022. "Impacts of Climate and Land-Use Changes on Hydrological Processes of the Source Region of Yellow River, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-21, November.
    11. Chao Bao & Dongmei He, 2019. "Scenario Modeling of Urbanization Development and Water Scarcity Based on System Dynamics: A Case Study of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-19, October.
    12. Zafar Iqbal & Shamsuddin Shahid & Tarmizi Ismail & Zulfaqar Sa’adi & Aitazaz Farooque & Zaher Mundher Yaseen, 2022. "Distributed Hydrological Model Based on Machine Learning Algorithm: Assessment of Climate Change Impact on Floods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-30, May.
    13. Peng Qi & Guangxin Zhang & Yi Jun Xu & Zhikun Xia & Ming Wang, 2019. "Response of Water Resources to Future Climate Change in a High-Latitude River Basin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-21, October.
    14. Yunqiang Liu & Jiuping Xu & Huawei Luo, 2014. "An Integrated Approach to Modelling the Economy-Society-Ecology System in Urbanization Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-27, April.
    15. Hailiang Ma & Nan-Ting Chou & Lei Wang, 2016. "Dynamic Coupling Analysis of Urbanization and Water Resource Utilization Systems in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-18, November.
    16. Chuyu Xia & Yan Li & Yanmei Ye & Zhou Shi, 2016. "An Integrated Approach to Explore the Relationship Among Economic, Construction Land Use, and Ecology Subsystems in Zhejiang Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-20, May.
    17. Guangdong Li & Chuanglin Fang, 2014. "Analyzing the multi-mechanism of regional inequality in China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 52(1), pages 155-182, January.
    18. Ziqi Meng & Min Liu & Qiannan She & Fang Yang & Lingbo Long & Xia Peng & Ji Han & Weining Xiang, 2018. "Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Ecological Conditions and Its Response to Natural Conditions and Human Activities during 1990–2010 in the Yangtze River Delta, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-16, December.
    19. Junjie Yan & Guangpeng Zhang & Xiaoya Deng & Hongbo Ling & Hailiang Xu & Bin Guo, 2019. "Does Climate Change or Human Activity Lead to the Degradation in the Grassland Ecosystem in a Mountain-Basin System in an Arid Region of China?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-15, May.
    20. Wencong Yue & Zhongqi Liu & Meirong Su & Meng Xu & Qiangqiang Rong & Chao Xu & Zhenkun Tan & Xuming Jiang & Zhixin Su & Yanpeng Cai, 2022. "Inclusion of Ecological Water Requirements in Optimization of Water Resource Allocation Under Changing Climatic Conditions," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(2), pages 551-570, January.

    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:16:y:2023:i:1:p:211-:d:1307725. 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.