Lake Water Storage Changes in Northeast Hoh Xil Observed by Cryosat-2 and Landsat-5/7/8: Impact of the Outburst of Zhuonai Lake in 2011

A significant shift in the hydrological system of northeast Hoh Xil, Qinghai Hoh Xil, was triggered by the 2011 outburst of Zhuonai Lake (ZL). This event altered water storage dynamics across four lakes, with a notable reduction in the correlation between individual lake water storage changes (LWSCs) and basin-wide trends post-outburst. Before 2011, all lakes showed increasing water volumes, totaling 1.49 ± 0.08 gigatonnes, primarily in ZL and Kusai Lake (KL). However, after the outburst, three upstream lakes exhibited stagnant LWSCs despite continued basin-wide increases, with over 80% of new water accumulating in Salt Lake (SL), which maintained a strong correlation (0.91) with basin trends. The study leveraged Cryosat-2 and Landsat satellite data to construct monthly LWSC records from 2009 to 2016, validating lake levels and areas through interpolation and digital elevation models (DEM). This approach revealed the outburst's profound impact on regional hydrology.

Wang, H., Huang, Z., Wen, Z., & Luo, Z. (2022). Lake Water Storage Changes in Northeast Hoh Xil Observed by Cryosat-2 and Landsat-5/7/8: Impact of the Outburst of Zhuonai Lake in 2011. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, 19, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1109/lgrs.2022.3164735