Melting glaciers make Tibetan Plateau lakes more hospitable, boost water supplies

Photo: iStock

Eurasia 21/08/2023 10:45

Melting glaciers and increased precipitation lead to decline in salinity, which encourages biodiversity and lowers risk of harmful algae blooms. The trend could also help supply more drinking water to the region, researcher says, according to South China Morning Post.

A team of Chinese researchers has found lakes on the Tibetan Plateau have been decreasing in salinity over the past two decades because of expanding water volume – a trend that scientists say is encouraging for the region’s aquatic biodiversity, South China Morning Post reported.

These lakes account for half of China’s total lake surface area, and the change in salinity could also affect the region’s freshwater resources, according to researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

In a study published in the peer-reviewed journal International Journal of Digital Earth last month, the researchers tried to assess the impact of climate change on the salinity of Tibetan Plateau lakes.

Zhu Liping, corresponding author of the study and researcher at the CAS Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, said the water volume of lakes on the Tibetan Plateau expanded 17 per cent over the past three decades, increasing from 800 billion cubic metres (28.3 trillion cubic feet) in 1990 to 960 billion cubic metres now, SCMP added.

Zhu said the lakes’ expansion was caused by increased precipitation and glacial meltwater, both results of climate change. The expanding water volume has led to lakes that are less salty.

“The declining trend in lake salinity on the Tibetan Plateau is certainly favourable to aquatic biodiversity. It will increase biodiversity and help it develop in a good direction,” Zhu said.

AFP/Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang

He added the trend of declining salinity could supply more drinking water to the region.

“The lower salinity in lakes means a decrease in salinity levels in the whole region. And in some places, the groundwater may be drinkable when pumped,” Zhu said.

“The lake water can be used to irrigate farmland in high-altitude regions near Yamzho Yumco,” Zhu said, referring to one of the three largest lakes in Tibet autonomous region.

There are more than 1,400 lakes with an area greater than 1 sq km on the Tibetan Plateau. Most of them are located at an altitude of more than 4,000 metres (13,123 feet), where there is minimal human activity.

“Tibetan Plateau lakes are diverse in terms of area, depth, salinity, structural types and water supply conditions,” according to the study.

Zhu and his colleagues measured the salinity of 87 lakes on the Tibetan Plateau. The lakes sampled account for about 60 per cent of the plateau’s total lake area.

The study found that lakes with significant changes in salinity were mainly concentrated in the central and northern parts of the plateau. The changes in salinity in western, southern and eastern areas of the plateau were not significant, SCMP noted.

Melting glaciers make Tibetan Plateau lakes more hospitable, boost water supplies

Melting glaciers and increased precipitation lead to decline in salinity, which encourages biodiversity and lowers risk of harmful algae blooms. The trend could also help supply more drinking water to the region, researcher says, according to South China Morning Post.

Subscribe to Push Notifications

Settings