Variations in water storage of Bosten Lake, China, over the last two decades based on multi-source satellite data

Study region: Bosten Lake (Xinjiang, China).
Study focus: This paper mainly focuses on quantifying changes in water storage of Bosten Lake
using multi-mission satellite data. From Landsat images, we firstly extracted the lake area changes
between 2003 and 2022 with the help of the modified normalized difference water index
(MNDWI); Secondly, we used ICESat-1, CryoSat-2, and ICESat-2 altimetry data to draw the information
of the water surface changes of the lake; Finally, the factors influencing the changes of
the water volume of Bosten Lake were analyzed using meteorological and human activity data.
New hydrological insights for the region: The findings indicate that the area of Bosten Lake has
reduced from 1037.9 km2 to 1015.77 km2, the water level has fallen by 0.58 m, and the volume of
water has lost by 1.07 km3 between 2003 and 2022. During this period, the temperature and
precipitation changes did not significantly correlate with the lake changes. In fact, lake change
has obvious relationship with ecological water transfer and agricultural activities in the area. This
paper is meaning in strengthening the understanding of the variation of freshwater lakes in arid
areas under the background of global warming and its role in the regional water system. It also
correctly assessed the impact of climate change and human activities on lakes as well as provide
technical support for the sustainable development of ecological environment.