Extreme Lake Level Changes on the Tibetan Plateau Associated With the 2015/2016 El Niño. Issue 11 (7th June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lei, Yanbin; Zhu, Yali; Wang, Bin; Yao, Tandong; Yang, Kun; Zhang, Xiaowen; Zhai, Jianqing; Ma, Ning
• Is Part Of: Geophysical research letters. Volume 46:Issue 11(2019)
• Page Start: 5889
• Page End: 5898
• Publication Date: 2019-06-07
• Subjects: extreme lake level changes -- 2015/2016 El Niño -- Tibetan Plateau; Geophysics -- Periodicals; Planets -- Periodicals; Lunar geology -- Periodicals; 550
• DOI: 10.1029/2019GL081946
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0094-8276

Abstract

Abstract: Although the impact of El Niño–Southern Oscillation on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is reflected through stable isotopes of precipitation and ice cores, the hydroclimate response of TP lakes to El Niño–Southern Oscillation is seldom investigated. Here we show that significant lake water deficit occurred on the central TP (CTP) due to a dramatic decrease in precipitation 2016 El Ni/2016 El Niño event, followed by extreme lake water surplus in 2016 and 2017 over most of the TP (except the eastern CTP). Similar but weaker lake shrinkage and afterward expansion can also be found during historical El Niño events. Further exploration reveals that the CTP dry anomaly during El Niño events tends to bridge the dry anomalies over India and northern China, thereby forming a dry zone along the northwestern edge of the Asian monsoon domain. This study may shed light on the prediction of lake level changes on the TP. Plain Language Summary: The 2015/2016 El Niño was one of the three strongest on record and had tremendous impact on global climate, but its impact on the hydroclimate of the Tibetan Plateau is seldom investigated. Between 2013 and 2017, we carried out extensive fieldwork to monitor lake level changes on the central Tibetan Plateau and were fortunate to capture the whole process of lake level changes during this event. We found that lakes on the central Tibetan Plateau experienced significant shrinkage due to a dramatic decrease in precipitation in 2015. In the following 2016 and 2017, most lakes over the Tibetan Plateau expanded at unusually high speed. Similar but weaker lake shrinkage and afterward lake expansion also occurred during historical El Niño events. We further investigate how El Niño–Southern Oscillation can influence the climate of the Tibetan Plateau on a large scale and find that the central Tibetan Plateau dry anomaly tends to bridge the dry anomalies over India and northern China, thereby forming a dry zone along the northwestern edge of the Asian monsoon domain during an El Niño developing summer. This study may shed light on the prediction of lake level changes on the Tibetan Plateau. Key Points: Dramatic lake shrinkage occurred on the TP during the 2015/2016 El Niño event, followed by rapid lake expansion in 2016 and 2017 Considerable drought and lake shrinkage on the CTP also occurred during historical El Niño events ENSO may have dramatic impact on the hydroclimate of the TP, especially the CTP