Monitoring changes in the water volume of Hulun Lake by integrating satellite altimetry data and Landsat images between 1992 and 2010

Jiajia Zheng; Chang-Qing Ke; Zhude Shao; Fei Li

doi:10.1117/1.JRS.10.016029

29 March 2016 Monitoring changes in the water volume of Hulun Lake by integrating satellite altimetry data and Landsat images between 1992 and 2010

Jiajia Zheng, Chang-Qing Ke, Zhude Shao, Fei Li

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, Vol. 10, Issue 1, 016029 (March 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JRS.10.016029

Abstract

Lake level and volume are sensitive to climate change, and their changes can affect the sustainable utilization of regional water resources. Satellite radar/laser altimetry has effectively been used for monitoring water-level changes in recent years. In this study, satellite altimetry data and optical images were used to assess the changes in water level, area, and volume of Hulun Lake in north-eastern China. We derived a time series of lake levels for nearly two decades (1992 to 2010) from the altimetry data of two satellite sensors (Topex/Poseidon and Envisat RA-2); additionally, lake surface extent was extracted from Landsat TM/ETM+ images during the same period. The results indicate that the water level, area, and volume of Hulun Lake decreased over the past two decades. The water level shows a significant decrease (−0.36 m/year) of a total of −5.21 m from 1992 to 2010, specifically including a slight decrease (−0.4 m) during 1992 to 1999 and a sudden drop (−4.81 m) during 2000 to 2010. There has also been a consistent and significant reduction in lake area (−355.35 km²) and volume (−12.92 km³). An integrated examination on changes in temperature, evaporation, precipitation, and runoff during 1992 to 2010 shows that the main changes in the Hulun Lake area are correlated with increasing temperature (0.47°C/year) and evaporation (13.61 mm/year), as well as decreasing precipitation (−6.58 mm/year) and runoff (−1.04×10⁸ m³/year). Thus, we infer that climate warming is likely the main cause of the changes in water level, area, and volume of Hulun Lake. In addition, anthropogenic factors accelerate the degradation of the Hulun Lake wetland to some extent.

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Jiajia Zheng, Chang-Qing Ke, Zhude Shao, and Fei Li "Monitoring changes in the water volume of Hulun Lake by integrating satellite altimetry data and Landsat images between 1992 and 2010," Journal of Applied Remote Sensing 10(1), 016029 (29 March 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JRS.10.016029

Published: 29 March 2016

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