Lake evolution and its implication for environmental changes in China during 1950-2000

• Published in: Journal of geographical sciences Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 131 - 141
• Main Authors: Huang, Zhihua, Xue, Bin, Yao, Shuchun, Pang, Yong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg SP Science in China Press 01.05.2008; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agrochemicals; Asia; Bgi / Prodig; China; Climate change; Comparative studies; Earth and Environmental Science; Environmental changes; Geographical Information Systems/Cartography; Geography; Lakes; Land reclamation; Land use; Nature Conservation; Physical Geography; Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry; Water depth; Water levels; 东部湖区; 变化趋势; 水量空间; 西部湖区; China; China, People's Rep; climatic change; human activities; variations of lake volume; China; Human impact; Impact; Climatic variability; Water quality; Lake level; Lake; Water resources
• ISSN: 1009-637X; 1861-9568
• DOI: 10.1007/s11442-008-0131-4

Lakes in China have undergone considerable environmental changes during the past 50 years, e.g. lake level, water area changes, as did in the past several thousands years. The enhanced human activities, such as land reclamation, application of chemical fertilizer, land use and cover, irrigation and industrialization in the catchment etc., have played an important role on the recent decades＇ changes of these lakes, although constrained to a great extent by the natural impact. Comparative study on variations of lake volume （water level, depth and area） in the eastern and western lake regions of China during 1950-2000 indicated that, lake volume in the eastern region had approximately undergone a two-stage change, i.e. a dramatic decrease from the 1950s to 1970s, and a continuous increase between the 1980s and 1990s; while, in the western region, lake volume had been decreasing nearly all the time. Further studies on some typical lakes concluded that, climatic change was a primary factor for the variations of lake volume during the past 50 years, although human activities showed important effect.