TY - JOUR
T1 - Lakes declining in the mega-Changjiang River Basin in China
AU - Bu, Fangyuan
AU - Dai, Zhijun
AU - Long, Chuqi
AU - Yang, Jiangjie
AU - Mei, Xuefei
AU - Chu, Ao
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 North American Lake Management Society.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Bu F, Dai Z, Long C, Yang J, Mei X, Chu A. 2025. Lakes declining in the mega-Changjiang River Basin in China. Lake Reserv Manage. 41:1–15. Global lakes are shrinking due to intensive human interference and climate change. However, a comprehensive understanding of lake variations within mega river systems has been poorly documented. Here, lake dynamics of the mega-Changjiang River Basin (CRB) are explored by multiple images and hydrological observations between 1990 and 2020. The lake area in the CRB declined significantly by 91.58 km2/yr and 101.11 km2/yr in the flood season and dry season, respectively, while the lake number only exhibits an obvious decrease of 0.25 lakes/yr in the flood season. Furthermore, small lakes remain relatively stable, and medium-size lakes experience a minor decline/increase during the flood/dry season, while large lakes exhibit an intensive decrease during the dry season. Lakes in the upper Changjiang increase in area due to glacier melting caused by rising temperatures. Lake area declines in midstream and the lower stream were induced by Changjiang riverbed downcutting triggered by Three Gorges Dam regulation, as well as by large-scale human reclamations. In addition, seasonal differences in precipitation can cause lake size fluctuations from the flood season to the dry season. Our results underscore the response of the lake system to anthropogenic interference and climate change, providing valuable insights for sustainable lake management and protection.
AB - Bu F, Dai Z, Long C, Yang J, Mei X, Chu A. 2025. Lakes declining in the mega-Changjiang River Basin in China. Lake Reserv Manage. 41:1–15. Global lakes are shrinking due to intensive human interference and climate change. However, a comprehensive understanding of lake variations within mega river systems has been poorly documented. Here, lake dynamics of the mega-Changjiang River Basin (CRB) are explored by multiple images and hydrological observations between 1990 and 2020. The lake area in the CRB declined significantly by 91.58 km2/yr and 101.11 km2/yr in the flood season and dry season, respectively, while the lake number only exhibits an obvious decrease of 0.25 lakes/yr in the flood season. Furthermore, small lakes remain relatively stable, and medium-size lakes experience a minor decline/increase during the flood/dry season, while large lakes exhibit an intensive decrease during the dry season. Lakes in the upper Changjiang increase in area due to glacier melting caused by rising temperatures. Lake area declines in midstream and the lower stream were induced by Changjiang riverbed downcutting triggered by Three Gorges Dam regulation, as well as by large-scale human reclamations. In addition, seasonal differences in precipitation can cause lake size fluctuations from the flood season to the dry season. Our results underscore the response of the lake system to anthropogenic interference and climate change, providing valuable insights for sustainable lake management and protection.
KW - Anthropogenic activities
KW - Changjiang
KW - Three Gorges Dam
KW - lake area
KW - shrinkage
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105000609092
U2 - 10.1080/10402381.2024.2432876
DO - 10.1080/10402381.2024.2432876
M3 - 文章
AN - SCOPUS:105000609092
SN - 0743-8141
VL - 41
SP - 1
EP - 15
JO - Lake and Reservoir Management
JF - Lake and Reservoir Management
IS - 1
ER -
