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Updated: Dec 15, 2025

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface
Published on: June 8, 2015
Quantifying the evaporation amounts of 75 high-elevation large dimictic lakes on the Tibetan Plateau
Binbin Wang1, Yaoming Ma1,2,3,4, Zhongbo Su5,6
1Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Abstract:
Lake evaporation can influence basin-wide hydrological cycles and is an important factor in loss of water resources in endorheic lakes of the Tibetan Plateau. Because of the scarcity of data, published lake evaporation values are inconsistent, and their spatial distribution has never been reported. Presenting a plausible hypothesis of energy balance during the ice-free seasons, we explored the multiyear (2003-2016) average ice phenology and evaporation amounts of 75 large dimictic lakes by using a combination of meteorological and satellite data. Evaporation amounts show large variability in spatial distribution, with a pattern of higher values in the south. Lakes with higher elevation, smaller area, and higher latitude are generally associated with a shorter ice-free season and lower evaporation. The total evaporated water amounts have values of approximately 29.4 ± 1.2 km3 year-1 for the 75 studied lakes and 51.7 ± 2.1 km3 year-1 for all plateau lakes included.
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