Quantitative Estimation of Groundwater Leakage from Namco Lake by SAR Monitoring

• Published in: Acta geologica Sinica (Beijing) 2016-08, Vol.90 (4), p.1555-1556
• Main Authors: Jiaqi, CHEN, Yunkai, DENG, Ning, LI, Yu, WANG, Zhongling, LIU, Shilin, ZHANG
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: SAR; 全球气候变化; 合成孔径雷达; 合理开发利用; 地下水; 定量估计; 监测; 纳木错
• ISSN: 1000-9515; 1755-6724
• DOI: 10.1111/1755-6724.12794

Objective This study focused on the Namco, the largest lake on the Tibet plateau as well as the highest large lake in the world. A large imbalance between water input and output of this lake has attracted great attention in the field of hydrogeology during recent years. As there is no surface outflow from Namco, the large water imbalance can only be explained by water seepage. Synthetic aperture radar （SAR） image data were used for the first time in combination with hydrological data actually measured in the field and meteorological station data, to quantitatively acquire the information of surface fluctuation, water storage variation, and to estimate groundwater leakage from Namco Lake. The results provide theoretical support and data for further understanding the processes and extent of water resource response to global climate change, and also provide a scientific basis for rational development and utilization of water resource in the Tibetan Plateau.