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Journal of Desert Research ›› 2019, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (6): 40-47.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2018.00099

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Lake Area Change in the Mu Us Desert in 1989-2014

Xu Danlei, Ding Jingnan, Wu Yongqiu   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology/MOE Engineering Center of Desertification and Blown-Sand Control, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
  • Received:2018-08-24 Revised:2018-10-20 Published:2019-11-14

Abstract: It is important to study the change of lake area, which can reflect regional climate change and human activities. Landsat remote sensing data of the 6th periods of 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 were selected to reveal the spatial and temporal changes of the lake group area in the Mu Us Desert. We combined artificial visual interpretation and ArcGIS spatial analysis with meteorological data from surrounding meteorological stations in the Mu Us Desert and the statistical yearbook data of the relevant counties to analyze the influencing factors of the lake area changes. The results showed that:(1) The lakes in the Mu Us Desert has been atrophic for nearly 30 years. To be specific, lake area increased before 1994, then it continued to decrease, and the change varied with different area levels. Spatially, in the past 30 years, the lakes with a large decreased area were mostly located in the northeast of the study area, while the lakes with an obvious increased area were mainly located in the southwest of the region, and the size of lake area in the central region were relatively stable. (2) Climate change and human activities have been the main factors, which influenced the change of lake area in the Mu Us Desert in the past 30 years. Before 2000, the change of lake area were mainly affected by temperature and precipitation. Especially from 1989 to 1994, the lake area change showed a significant positive correlation with temperature and precipitation in the entire space. (3) After 2000, with the intensification of human activities in the region, the change of lake area were mainly affected by human activities. Under the "interference" of human activities, the change of lake area did not show a significant positive correlation with human activities in the space.

Key words: Mu Us Desert, lake area change, spatial analysis, influencing factors

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