Article
Environmental Sciences
Qifei Zhang, Yaning Chen, Zhi Li, Yanyun Xiang, Yupeng Li, Congjian Sun
Summary: The Tien Shan mountain range serves as an important water source and indicator of climate change in Central Asia. This research focused on the spatiotemporal dynamics of glaciers in the northern Tien Shan from 1990 to 2015. The results showed a significant decrease in glacier area and volume, with an accelerating trend in recent years. Glaciers smaller than 2 square kilometers experienced the greatest shrinkage, particularly in the northeastern and southwestern regions. This study highlights the negative trends in glacier area across various aspects of the northern Tien Shan.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guanyu Hou, Xiuliang Yuan, Shixin Wu, Xiaofei Ma, Zihui Zhang, Xingwen Cao, Conghui Xie, Qing Ling, Weiyi Long, Geping Luo
Summary: Lake ice phenology in Central Asia was studied using MODIS daily LST products from 2002 to 2020. The results showed regional differences in the trends of lake ice phenology, with lakes near Kunlun Mountains experiencing delayed freeze-up and lakes in southwestern Central Asia showing advancing freeze-up and breakup. Correlations with local and climatic factors indicated that heat was the main driver of the breakup process, while precipitation influenced freezing time and wind speed affected the time of complete ice freezing.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qifei Zhang, Yaning Chen, Zhi Li, Gonghuan Fang, Yanyun Xiang, Yupeng Li
Summary: The number and area of alpine lakes in Tien Shan are rapidly growing, mainly due to a warming climate and retreating glaciers. Glacial lakes continuously increased in size, while non-glacial lakes expanded intermittently. Proglacial lakes and extraglacial lakes showed the highest expansion rates among the four types of alpine lakes.
Article
Environmental Studies
Xiuwei Xing, Jing Qian, Xi Chen, Chaoliang Chen, Jiayu Sun, Shujie Wei, Duman Yimamaidi, Zhahan Zhanar
Summary: This research investigates the spatiotemporal vegetation dynamics in Central Asia and quantifies the contributions of hydrothermal conditions to vegetation changes. The results show that there are significant differences in vegetation dynamics in different seasons and hydrothermal conditions exhibit temporal and spatial heterogeneity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yong Zhang, Cheng-bang An, Li-yuan Zheng, Lu-yu Liu, Wen-sheng Zhang, Chao Lu, Yan-zhen Zhang
Summary: Changes in lake area in Central Asia's Tianshan Mountains are influenced by elevation and various factors. Low-elevation lakes have decreased in area due to human activities, while high-elevation glacial lakes have increased in area. Mid-elevation lakes are more sensitive to temperature changes. Understanding elevation gradients and recharge types is crucial when using lakes for climate reconstructions or predicting lake evolution.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Qi Hu, Zihang Han
Summary: Changes in climate classification provide geographically specific information on climate variation in Central Asia. The study shows the expansion of desert climate and increased temperatures across the region since the 1980s. Mountainous areas have experienced a shift from previous cold climate to warmer and wetter conditions. These changes have had significant impacts on glaciers, groundwater, and lake water levels in drainage areas. The shifts in climate types can also complicate the variation of ecological systems by initiating new feedback processes.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Meimei Zhang, Fang Chen, Huadong Guo, Lu Yi, Jiangyuan Zeng, Bin Li
Summary: Changes in the glacial lake area in the High Mountain Asia (HMA) region were studied using time-series Landsat data. The results showed that the glacial lake area in the HMA region expanded by 0.58% per year over the past three decades, with high spatiotemporal heterogeneity. The temperature rise and glacier thinning were identified as the leading factors of glacial lake expansion in HMA.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Yuyue Xu, Jing Lin, Jianwei Zhao, Xiaoyun Zhu
Summary: This study introduced a new method, KCFFM, combining K-means clustering and the flood fill method, to improve the accuracy and stability of lake extraction from complex backgrounds. The results showed that KCFFM had the highest accuracy and stability among all methods, especially during the lake ice period in Central Asia.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wei Yan, Xiaofei Ma, Yuan Liu, Kaixuan Qian, Xiuyun Yang, Jiaxin Li, Yifan Wang
Summary: Climate change and anthropogenic activities contribute to the shrinkage of terminal lakes in arid areas. Ecological water conveyance (EWC) projects are effective in restoring the ecology of terminal lakes. A comparative study between Taitema Lake and the Aral Sea Basin in Central Asia reveals that EWC can increase the water area of terminal lakes, demonstrating its feasibility for ecological restoration.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jianru Cheng, Xianqiang Meng, Enlou Zhang, Qingfeng Jiang, Zhenyu Ni, Junfeng Ji
Summary: The study found a 12-cm-thick dolomite layer formed in Lake Sayram in Central Asia, consisting of calcium-rich dolomite crystals with irregular shapes. It is suggested that the dolomite may have formed under the influence of day and night temperature cycling in shallow lake water due to the local warming trend. This study provides evidence for abiotic dolomite formation at ambient temperature.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yupeng Li, Yaning Chen, Fan Sun, Zhi Li
Summary: The study reveals that there has been noticeable vegetation browning in the Tianshan Mountain region over the past few decades, particularly evident post-1998, indicating a high vulnerability and sensitivity to water deficits.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Haichao Hao, Xingming Hao, Jianhua Xu, Yaning Chen, Hongfang Zhao, Zhi Li, Patient Mindje Kayumba
Summary: This study assesses the spatio-temporal changes in water use efficiency (WUE) from 2000 to 2018 and analyzes its relationship with meteorological elements and vegetation index. The study finds that the impact of precipitation on WUE is positively correlated with time lag, while temperature has a negative correlation.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Wen Liu, Long Ma, Jilili Abuduwaili, Gulnura Issanova, Galymzhan Saparov
Summary: The study focused on the sedimentary proxies of Lake Balkhash in Central Asia and found that the organic carbon mainly comes from aquatic plants. The burial rate of organic carbon has been decreasing over the past 150 years, with factors like global warming and low terrestrial input hindering organic carbon sequestration in the lake. The construction of a large reservoir also impacts the sedimentary proxies, potentially leading to environmental reconstruction deviations.
Article
Water Resources
Lijuan Hua, Tianbao Zhao, Linhao Zhong
Summary: Based on multi-model projections, possible future changes in meteorological, hydrological, and agricultural drought in Central Asia are analyzed. The results suggest an asymmetrical west-east precipitation pattern, with a decrease in the west and an increase in the east. Drought frequency and duration are projected to increase in most of Central Asia due to enhanced evaporation.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY-REGIONAL STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Guoqiang Li, Xiaoyan Wang, Xiaojian Zhang, Zhongfeng Yan, Yuanlu Liu, He Yang, Yixuan Wang, Tara N. Jonell, Jikun Qian, Siyi Gou, Lupeng Yu, Zhong Wang, Jianhui Chen
Summary: The interaction between the East Asian summer monsoon and the mid-latitude Westerlies in the transition zone of the northern Tibetan Plateau has a significant impact on the moisture evolution in mid-latitude Asia. This study reveals that the precipitation variability of the Westerlies dominates the lake level changes in Toson Lake, in contrast to the records from the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and northern China. The results also indicate that the moisture transport to Central Asia is modulated by the see-saw of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the anticyclonic circulation over Mongolia, rather than directly influenced by the East Asian summer monsoon.