Dynamic Evolution and Driving Forces of the Changes in Lakeside Wetlands in the Mongolian Plateau

Rapid climate change and human disturbance have caused serious damage and shrinkage of the wetlands in the Mongolian Plateau, posing severe challenges to environmental development. Based on remote sensing images and DEM data, this study established a series of datasets for lakeside wetlands in the Mongolian Plateau in 2000, 2010 and 2020, and investigated the dynamic evolution of lakeside wetlands in the Mongolian Plateau through spatial and temporal analyses. The results showed that in 2000, there were 564 lakes (>1 km2) in the Mongolian Plateau, with a total area of about 55216.47 km2. Compared with 2000, the area of lakes in 2010 was significantly reduced, and there was a significant increase in the number of woody marshes and a reduction in the number of herbaceous marshes. In 2020, the lakes in the central part of the Mongolian Plateau were smaller than in 2010. The areas of lakes in the western, southern and eastern regions were increasing, and the areas of herbaceous swamps, woody marshes and meadows were increasing overall. Lakes, bare land and saline-alkali land decreased overall. The degree of salinization was reduced over the study period. There was a significant correlation between the Adaptive Palmer Drought Index (scPDSI) and lake area. In the past two decades, the climatic factors and human activities of the Mongolian Plateau have profoundly affected the evolution of the lakeside wetlands. We should prioritize the protection of lakes and wetland resources in order to achieve the dynamic balance of wetland ecology.