Climate Change Increases Lake Water Storage on the 18 Lakes of Inner Tibetan Plateau

Inner Tibetan Plateau is an endorheic basin. Lakes on the Inner Tibetan Plateau have dramatically increased in size because of climate warming and humidification.

It implies that drainage reorganization events could happen, which would then put nearby settlements and roads at risk of flooding.

Increase in lake water storage on Inner Tibetan Plateau

(Photo : Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

It is vitally necessary to estimate the changes in lake water storage (LWS) in the Inner Tibetan Plateau as a result of climate change, as per phys.org.

Using data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment and simulations of land surface models, a multidisciplinary research team led by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences assessed the LWS for 18 lakes on the Inner Tibetan Plateau from 2002 to 2018.

The calculated LWS and the data from various satellite altimeter sources were in good agreement.

Prof. Jia Binghao, the study's first author, stated that the LWS of the 18 lakes on the Inner Tibetan Plateau developed rapidly with an average increasing rate of 26.92 mm every year.

The increasing rate of LWS will be reduced to 40% of what occurred in recent decades based on an artificial neural network model by the mid-21st century for an intermediate scenario.

The findings of this study emphasize how vital it is to mitigate the effects of climate change on water resources and adapt to them in order to prevent floods on the Inner Tibetan Plateau due to an increase in LWS.

Also Read: Tibetan Plateau, the 'Roof of the World,' Started off Bigger than we Thought

Unbalanced water cycles are mostly happening today

Heat speeds up the pace at which water evaporates from open bodies of water, plants, and soil as the environment heats, as per NEEF.

This quick evaporation dries up the ground below while accumulating additional moisture in the atmosphere for precipitation.

Some locations may see more frequent and stronger periods of intense precipitation as a result of this accelerated, unbalanced water cycle, while others may remain dry.

The earth's atmosphere's capacity to hold more water vapor can increase the warming effect of climate change in addition to intensifying droughts and floods.

This is so because water vapor, which is water in a gaseous state, is regarded as a greenhouse gas.

As a result, it prevents heat from the earth's surface from escaping and raises the atmosphere's capacity to warm.

Importance of expanding lake water storage

Due to the significant changes in the hydrological cycle, dams and reservoirs must be built to store water during times of excess water availability and preserve the same for use during times of scarcity when water availability is low, as per Bhakra Beas Management Board.

In order to best meet the needs of the population for drinking water, dams must be carefully planned and built.

Large amounts of water from reservoirs are also used to supply needs in the industry.

By supplementing low inflows, controlled water flow from reservoirs helps keep water quality within safe levels by diluting dangerous dissolved chemicals in river waters during lean periods.