The Evolution and Drivers of Hydrochemistry in Nam Co Lake, the Third Largest Lake on the Tibetan Plateau, over the Last 20 Years

Wenhao Ren, Yanyan Gao (), Hui Qian (), Wengang Qu, Xiaoxin Shi, Yaoming Ma, Zhongbo Su and Weiqiang Ma
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Wenhao Ren: School of Water and Environment, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Yanyan Gao: School of Water and Environment, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Hui Qian: School of Water and Environment, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Wengang Qu: School of Water and Environment, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Xiaoxin Shi: School of Water and Environment, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Yaoming Ma: Land-Atmoshere Interaction and Its Climatic Effects Group, State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Zhongbo Su: Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
Weiqiang Ma: Land-Atmoshere Interaction and Its Climatic Effects Group, State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-23

Abstract: The Tibetan Plateau, a critical regulator of the global water cycle and climate system, represents a highly sensitive region to environmental changes, with significant implications for sustainable development. This study focuses on Nam Co Lake, the third largest lake on the Tibetan Plateau, and investigates the hydrochemical evolution of the lake and the driving mechanisms in regard to the lake–river–groundwater system within the Nam Co Basin over the last 20 years. Our findings provide critical insights for sustainable water resource management in regard to fragile alpine lake ecosystems. The hydrochemical analyses revealed distinct temporal patterns in the total dissolved solids, showing an increasing trend during the 2000s, followed by a decrease in the 2010s. Piper diagrams demonstrated a gradual change in the anion composition from the Cl type to the HCO 3 type over the study period. The ion ratio analyses identified rock weathering (particularly silicate, halite, sulfate, and carbonate weathering), ion exchange, and evaporation processes as primary controlling processes, with notable differences between water bodies: while all four weathering processes contributed to the lake’s water chemistry, only halite and carbonate weathering influenced river and groundwater compositions. The comparative analysis revealed more pronounced ion exchange processes in lake water than in river and groundwater systems. Climate change impacts were manifested through two primary mechanisms: (1) enhanced evaporation, leading to elevated ion concentrations and isotopic enrichment; and (2) temperature-related effects on the water chemistry through increased dilution from precipitation and glacial meltwater. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for developing adaptive strategies to maintain water security and ecosystem sustainability. The relationships established between climate drivers and hydrochemical responses provide a scientific basis for predicting future changes and informing sustainable management practices for inland lake systems across the Tibetan Plateau.

Keywords: hydrogeochemistry; driver analysis; lake evolution; Nam Co Basin; Tibetan Plateau (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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