Water clarity response to climate warming and wetting of the Inner Mongolia-Xinjiang Plateau: A remote sensing approach

Water clarity (generally quantified as the Secchi disk depth: SDD) is a key variable for assessing environmental changes in lakes. Using remote sensing we calculated and elucidated SDD dynamics lakes Inner Mongolia-Xinjiang Lake Zone (IMXL) from 1986 to 2018 response variations temperature, rainfall, lake area, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) Palmer's drought severity (PDSI). The results showed that with high values are primarily located Xinjiang region at longitudes of 75°–93° E. In contrast, Mongolia 93°–118° E generally have low values. total, 205 show significant increasing trends (P < 0.05), mean rate 0.15 m per decade. 75 lakes, most which Mongolia, exhibited decreasing 0.08 decade 0.05). Pooled together, an overall increase found 0.14 Multiple linear regression reveals among five variables selected explain SDD, area accounts highest proportion variance (25%), while temperature rainfall account 12% 10%, respectively. addition, 52% variation humidity, 8% 7% NDVI. Temperature 27% NDVI, 39% 22% PDSI. Warming wetting conditions IMXL thus promote growth cause melting glaciers expansion eventually leads improved water quality terms higher SDD. facing more severe conditions, became turbid.