Centennial loss of lake wetlands in the Yangtze Plain, China: Impacts of land use changes accompanied by hydrological connectivity loss

• Published in: Water research (Oxford) 2024-06, Vol.256, p.121578-121578, Article 121578
• Main Authors: Li, Bing, Wan, Rongrong, Yang, Guishan, Yang, Su, Dong, Lifang, Cui, Junli, Zhang, Tao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Centennial dynamics; Historical maps; Hydrological connectivity; Lake wetland loss; Landsat imagery; Yangtze plain
• ISSN: 0043-1354; 1879-2448
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121578

•Historical maps and Landsat imagery combined to extend time series of spatial data.•Centennial dynamics of lake-wetland were reproduced across the Yangtze Plain.•An overall net loss of 45.6 % of the lake-wetland was found over the past century.•The centennial loss of lake-wetland was predominately driven by agricultural activities.•Hydrological connectivity changes intensified the lake-wetland loss by hydrological isolation. Humans have played a fundamental role in altering lake wetland ecosystems, necessitating the use of diverse data types to accurately quantify long-term changes, identify potential drivers, and establish a baseline status. We complied high-resolution historical topographic maps and Landsat imagery to assess the dynamics of the lake wetlands in the Yangtze Plain over the past century, with special attention to land use and hydrological connectivity changes. Results showed an overall loss of 45.6 % (∼11,859.5 km2) of the lake wetlands over the past century. The number of lakes larger than 10 km2 decreased from 149 to 100 due to lake dispersion, vanishing, and shrinkage. The extent of lake wetland loss was 3.8 times larger during the 1930s–1970s than that in the 1970s–1990s. Thereafter, the lake wetland area remained relatively stable, and a net increase was observed during the 2010s–2020s in the Yangtze Plain. The significant loss of lake wetland was predominately driven by agricultural activities and urban land expansion, accounting for 81.1 % and 4.9 % of the total losses, respectively. In addition, the changes in longitudinal and lateral hydrological connectivity further exacerbated the lake wetland changes across the Yangtze Plain through isolation between lakes and the Yangtze River and within the lakes. A total of 130 lakes have been isolated from the Yangtze River due to the construction of sluices and dykes throughout the Yangtze Plain, resulting in the decrease in the proportion of floodplain marsh from 28.3 % in the 1930s to 8.0 % in the 2020s. Furthermore, over 260 sub-lakes larger than 1 km2 (with a total area of 1276.4 km2) are experiencing a loss of connectivity with their parent lakes currently. This study could provide an improved historical baseline of lake wetland changes to guide the conservation planning to wetland protection and prioritization area in the Yangtze Plain. [Display omitted]