Extreme Lake Level Changes on the Tibetan Plateau Associated With the 2015/2016 El Niño

Abstract

Abstract Although the impact of El Niño–Southern Oscillation on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is reflected through stable isotopes of precipitation and ice cores, the hydroclimate response of TP lakes to El Niño–Southern Oscillation is seldom investigated. Here we show that significant lake water deficit occurred on the central TP (CTP) due to a dramatic decrease in precipitation 2016 El Ni/2016 El Niño event, followed by extreme lake water surplus in 2016 and 2017 over most of the TP (except the eastern CTP). Similar but weaker lake shrinkage and afterward expansion can also be found during historical El Niño events. Further exploration reveals that the CTP dry anomaly during El Niño events tends to bridge the dry anomalies over India and northern China, thereby forming a dry zone along the northwestern edge of the Asian monsoon domain. This study may shed light on the prediction of lake level changes on the TP.