Explore the Tibetan Plateau: A Land of Countless Lakes!

Produced in collaboration with the Institute of Planetology

Pristine snow-capped mountains, gray-yellow earth, and lush green pastures

form the majority of colors here

Although it occupies only 2% of the Tibetan Plateau's area

it brings a unique vitality to this vast land

(Namtso Holy Elephant Gate, Tibet, with the main peak of Nyenchen Tanglha Mountain in the distance, photographer @ Shanfeng)

Many lakes in eastern China exhibit emerald-green hues

making this shade of blue appear exceptionally distinctive

(Please view horizontally, Co Ngoin near Siling Co, photographer @ Lu Yuchun)

these blue figures can be seen everywhere

(Please view horizontally, distribution map of lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, the blue on the map represents icons, not the actual lake colors, cartography @ Chen Jingyi/Institute of Planetology)

What created these shades of blue?

(Distribution map of aridity on the Tibetan Plateau in the 2010s, cartography @ Chen Jingyi/Institute of Planetology)

causing water vapor to form solid precipitation like snow at higher altitudes

which accumulates and compresses into glaciers

thus becoming the Tibetan Plateau's vast

(Lobun Qiangga Glacier and Dongsheng Lake, located in Shigatse, Tibet, photographer @ Bai Yu)

With over 47,000 square kilometers of glacier area

and more than 4,300 cubic kilometers of ice reserves

it earns the Tibetan Plateau the title of "Asia's Water Tower"

Meltwater, along with precipitation, flows downhill following the mountain slopes

Gathering to form another vital component of the Asian Water Tower

(Jiongpu Co, located in Qamdo, Tibet; photographer: Xing Ying Bu Li)

Enabling most lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

To carry fewer debris particles as a result

Due to low temperatures, saline lake water, and other factors

The growth of microorganisms in the lakes is inhibited

(Dong Taijinar Lake, located in Haixi, Qinghai; photographer: Ka Ka)

Long-wavelength visible light like yellow light easily penetrates and is absorbed by the lake

While short-wavelength visible light like blue light tends to scatter

Thus initiating comprehensively across the plateau

(Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, located in Ngari, Tibet, with Tibetan wild asses by the lake; photographer: Shan Feng)

(Sichuan Daocheng Yading Milk Lake; photographer: Cao Weibing)

The cluster of alpine lakes upstream of Nuorilang Waterfall in Jiuzhaigou

(Nuorilang Waterfall and its upstream Nuorilang Lakes in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, with lake depths mostly between 7-20m, reaching up to 23m at the deepest; photographer: Li Heng)

Namtso, Manasarovar, Yamdrok Lake

All possess a sacred, sea-like azure blue

(Namtso, located at the border of Lhasa and Nagqu, Tibet, with 3/5 of its surface in Baingoin County, Nagqu, and 2/5 in Damxung County, Lhasa; photographer: A Tuo Shi Xiaojun)

Milk Lake, Five-Color Lake, Pearl Lake

(Sichuan Daocheng Yading Five-Color Lake; photographer: Shen Longquan)

(Lake Tangra Yumco, located in Nagqu, Tibet; in the distance is Mount Dagor, with two Tibetan gazelles seemingly gazing at the distant sacred mountain, photographer @ Shanfeng)

(Lake Manasarovar, located in Ngari, Tibet, is the only freshwater lake among Tibet's three holy lakes; on the shore are black-necked cranes, with Mount Naimona'nyi in the distance, photographer @ Lai Jian)

(Lake Puma Yumco and the mani stones by its shore; Lake Puma Yumco is situated in Shannan, Tibet, southwest of Lake Yamdrok, photographer @ Atuo Shi Xiaojun)

Shining brilliantly across this highland land

They also vary in size and take countless forms

What patterns lie within this?

In the heart of the Tibetan Plateau or within intermountain basins

Embedded in the northeastern corner of the Tibetan Plateau

(Please view horizontally, Qinghai Lake, photographer @ Zhang Yang's Xiao Qiang)

The lakes around Qinghai Lake are not densely clustered

But the southwestern region is different

Especially north of the Gangdise-Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains

An east-west band of densely packed lakes

Stretches across nearly half of the Tibetan Plateau

This lake-rich zone is thus called

(Please view horizontally, distribution map of the "Land of Many Lakes," cartographer @ Chen Jingyi/Planet Research Institute)

As the Indian Plate continues to collide with the Eurasian Plate

The area of this ocean was gradually compressed

And eventually vanished during the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau

Leaving behind a relatively low-lying zone and numerous basins of varying sizes

After water storage, the "chain of lakes" was thus born

(Please view horizontally, a herd of Tibetan antelopes running in front of Daze Co, photographed in Nima, Tibet, by photographer @Shanfeng)

Along with other scattered lakes of varying sizes

It resembles an exquisite

2,273.95 square kilometers, Tibet's largest lake

2,024.55 square kilometers, Tibet's second-largest lake

1,014.51 square kilometers, Tibet's third-largest lake

(The above area data is taken from the 2021 Science Press publication "Comprehensive Geographical Research on China's Plateau Lakes." Due to differences in statistical timing and methods, lake area data may vary across sources; this is for reference only. The image shows Siling Co, spanning Baingoin, Nima, and Xainza counties in Nagqu, Tibet. Please view horizontally, photographer @Chen Xiaoyang)

This region is also Tibet's only

Such as Tangra Yumco, Ngari Ringco, Taruo Co, etc.

Mostly covering an area greater than 100 square kilometers

But less than 1,000 square kilometers

(Ngari Ringco, located in Shigatse, Tibet, photographer @Jiang Chenming)

Together with other lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region

Pangong Tso, Yamdrok Yumtso, Ngoring Lake, etc.

Over 200 large and medium-sized lakes

Constitute 65% of the total lake area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

(Pangong Tso, located at the border between China and Indian-controlled Kashmir, with about two-thirds within Chinese territory, photographer @Xiang Wenjun)

Endowing the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's blue with countless forms

Yet their shapes are largely unpredictable

(Please view horizontally, Yamdrok Lake in Shannan, Tibet has numerous branches like coral, hence it is also called "Upper Coral Lake" in Tibetan, photographer @ Sun Yan)

Nestled among the vast mountains of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

as well as several sacred lakes in Daocheng Yading

(Please view horizontally, Liseo Lake, with Gongga Mountain not far away, photographer @ Zhang Shanyou)

On the high mountains in the northern part of the Western Sichuan Plateau

and some lakes in the Lianbao Yeze area

(Zhaga'er Lake in Lianbao Yeze, photographer @ Li Yuan)

The basins of these lakes were created by glaciers

such as during the Last Glacial Maximum about 20,000 years ago

when the glacier area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was about 7.5 times that of today

(Comparison of glacier extent on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the Last Glacial Maximum and present, map by @ Chen Jingyi/Planet Research Institute)

and formed various types of glacial lakes after water accumulation

Glaciers accumulate and erode surrounding rocks

forming mostly circular or semicircular cirques

which become circular or semicircular lakes after water fills them

They erode elongated depressions along valleys

resulting in mostly oval-shaped lakes after water accumulation

(Schematic diagram of the formation of main types of glacial lakes, map by @ Chen Sui/Planet Research Institute)

They also carry large amounts of debris as glaciers flow

and deposit natural dams along the sides and ends of glaciers

Water accumulation forms moraine lakes

Short as the one beneath the Qiangyong Glacier in Shannan, Tibet

(Qiangyong Glacier and Qiangyong Co at Kaluxung Peak, Nagarze County, Shannan, Tibet; photographer: @Greatwj)

Elongated as those in the U-shaped valleys of glaciers in Nyingchi, Tibet

(Basum Co, located in Nyingchi, Tibet; photographer: @Zhang Jing)

Due to the water-blocking effect of natural dams at the lake's end

Moraine lakes are also called moraine-dammed lakes

However, natural dams with similar effects

(Illustration of the formation of some dammed lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; cartographer: @Chen Sui/Planet Research Institute)

They are often shaped into interesting forms by the wildness of sediment and debris

(Wuuhua Hai in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, shaped like a tadpole; photographer: @Li Heng)

May change with the seasons

During seasons of scarce rainfall or extreme cold

(Please view horizontally, Ranwu Lake, located in Qamdo, Tibet; photographer: @Shen Yan)

Abundant debris such as sediment and rock fragments

But occasionally, when the debris content is just right

(Please view horizontally, Ranwu Lake, located in Qamdo, Tibet; photographer: @Li Heng)

Some lake surfaces freeze due to low temperatures

(Qiangyong Glacier and Qiangyong Co at Kaluxung Peak, Nagarze County, Shannan, Tibet; photographer: @Zhang Zhenqi)

（西藏山南浪卡子县卡鲁雄峰枪勇冰川与枪勇错，摄影师@张振启）

Sometimes it blends seamlessly with the surrounding ice and snow

(Glacial lake in Yubeng Village, Diqing, Yunnan, known as "Ice Lake," photographer: Zou Tong)

Easily capable of supporting flocks of sheep on their journey

(Puma Yumco Lake and sheep, located in Shannan, Tibet, photographer: Li Heng)

However, these changes are only temporary

Can cause lasting alterations to the blue hue

Such as calcium ions readily combining with carbon dioxide to precipitate

Even in freshwater lakes with low ion concentrations

It can spread a pristine white carpet across the lakebed

(Huanglong travertine pools, located in Aba, Sichuan, photographer: Yang Jian)

Most salts require specific conditions to achieve similar effects

The majority of lakes in the heart of the Tibetan Plateau

Inflowing salts cannot be discharged or removed

(Dong Tai Ji Nai'er Lake, located in Haixi, Qinghai, photographer: Zhang Chenxin)

Can even grow into uniquely shaped

Adding distinctive charm to the lakes

(Salt flowers in Qarhan Salt Lake, located in Haixi, Qinghai, photographer: Han Fei)

The transformations brought by salts go even further

Higher concentrations of iron ions, copper ions, etc., in the lake water

Can also alter the color of the lake water

And if there are large numbers of halophilic microorganisms in the lake

the abundant β-carotene, astaxanthin, and other substances in their bodies

will also dye the lake water with more vibrant colors

Under the complementary effects of these two factors

(Qarhan Salt Lake, located in Haixi, Qinghai, photographer @Chen Xiaoyang)

(Please view horizontally, Zabuye Caka, located in Shigatse, Tibet, photographer @Lu Yuchun)

(Eboliang Sulfur Lake, located in Haixi, Qinghai, photographer @Zhou Chao)

(Dachaidan Emerald Lake, located in Dachaidan Administrative District, Haixi, Qinghai, photographer @Shen Longquan)

When the salt lake further dries up due to drought

only a thin layer of viscous brine remains

Distant snow-capped mountains, dazzling sunset glows, and brilliant starry skies

(Mangya Emerald Lake, located in Mangya City, Haixi, Qinghai, photographer @He Xiaoqing)

What remains is a hard, snow-white salt crust

occasionally emerging only when replenished by rainfall, snowmelt, or other water sources

And this is already the dying state of these lakes

(Zabuye Caka, located in Shigatse, Tibet, photographer @Lu Yuchun)

Their lives then come to an end

and will eventually be buried under wind, sun, and dust

(A nearly dried-up lake in the Devil’s City of Dachaidan, Qinghai, photographer @Li Yuan)

Under the overall arid climate conditions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Drying up seems to be the fate of most lakes here

Looking back at their changes over recent decades

We might find part of the answer

The process of global warming has begun to accelerate

(Please view horizontally, lake marshes in Tianjun County, Haixi, Qinghai, photographer @ Zhang Zirong)

The number of thermokarst lakes on the Tibetan Plateau

(Distribution of permafrost and thermokarst lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, map by @ Chen Jingyi/Planet Research Institute)

Has also become a significant trigger for climate anomalies

Rainfall has increased in most areas of the Tibetan Plateau

Coupled with increased glacial meltwater

From 1,622 square kilometers in 1975

To 2,428 square kilometers in 2020

A nearly 50% increase in area over 45 years

Even surpassing Namtso Lake in this process

(Changes in the range of Siling Lake, map by @ Chen Jingyi/Planet Research Institute)

Although the growth rate is not as dramatic

Equivalent to the area of Kanas Lake in Xinjiang

(Please view horizontally, Namtso Lake, photographer @ Duan Huangde)

Many surrounding small lakes will be swallowed by larger ones

(Road beside Siling Lake, photographer @ Chen Xiaoyang)

The halophilic microorganisms within will thus depart

The vibrant colors will also fade away

The blue hues of some lakes may return

(Emerald Lake in Mangya, Haixi, Qinghai, photographed by Huang Xuefeng)

The blue of the Tibetan Plateau seems to be increasing

Yet it also accelerates the disappearance of some lakes

Leading to faster glacier flow speeds

Causing the terminal ice tongues to slide into moraine lakes

Coupled with increased rainfall raising lake water levels and other factors

Many moraine lakes may breach as a result

(The Ledo Mani Glacier in northern Gongga Mountain, Sichuan, and its moraine lake below, photographed by Zhang Shanyou)

Other barrier lakes formed by landslides or debris flows

Often face increased water inflow

(In June 2000, Yigong Lake in Nyingchi, Tibet, breached due to heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, exposing its riverbed and losing its former valley-filling grandeur, photographed by Qiu Menghan)

Meanwhile, climate anomalies caused by global warming

Have also reduced rainfall in parts of the Tibetan Plateau

Combined with increased evaporation due to rising temperatures

Lakes in these regions are gradually shrinking

(La'ang Lake in Ngari, Tibet, exhibits dense shoreline patterns characteristic of lake shrinkage, photographed by Song Wenjun)

Climate warming similarly accelerates glacier melting

Debris originally sealed within and beneath glaciers

Increased rainfall and frequency of precipitation

Also allows flowing water to carry more debris

(Turbid water flow beneath the Laigu Glacier, located in Qamdo, Tibet; photographer: Wu Yuan)

The growth environment of lakes has improved

The reproduction of numerous microorganisms has thus accelerated

These factors will cause many lakes

(Chongba Yongcuo, located in Shigatse, Tibet; the nearby lake water appears green and slightly turbid due to higher sediment content, contrasting with the cleaner blue water in the distance; photographer: Liu Jianwei)

But large lakes are not without issues

Those with an area greater than 50 square kilometers

But among them, 18 lakes still have transparency

Qinghai Lake, Siling Co, etc., are all included

Will continue to be profoundly affected by global warming

The future changes of these blue lakes on the Tibetan Plateau

(A lake on the Pamir Plateau, located in the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang; often called "White Sand Lake" due to its white sandy shores; image source: Visual China)

But one thing is certain

They will hardly remain as we know them

And will become cherished memories of our future

(Please view horizontally, Qinghai Lake; photographer: Li Wenbo)

Yao Tandong, Zhu Liping, An Baosheng

Wang Junbo, Lei Yanbin, Wang Weicai, Li Jiule

Reviewers: Shaoshao, Zuokou, Zheng Yi, Quancaotian, Songnan

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