The fluctuation characteristics of typical lakes in arid areas

Three typical lakes in Xinjiang, Ulungur Lake is a fractured lake, located in the north of the Junggar Basin; China's largest inland freshwater throughput lake named Bosten Lake; known for Barkol Lake’s salt content, it is also a closed inland lake. The study aims to investigate and contrast the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of three lake types in Xinjiang and to evaluate the accuracy of four water body indices: NDWI, MNDWI, AWEI, and MAWEI. These indices reflect water body information by calculating differences in reflectivity. The research analyzes spatial and temporal variations of these typical Xinjiang lakes from 2001 to 2022 and explores the relationship between meteorological elements and lake regulation. The study examined the relationship between typical Xinjiang lakes and meteorological elements using wavelet coherence analysis and cross wavelet transform. The findings indicate that: 1) Among the three lakes, Ulungur Lake's area variation is most directly influenced by its average air temperature, evaporation, and precipitation. 2) In the semi-arid region, temperature significantly impacts the fluctuations of Bosten and Ulungur Lakes. Temperature affects Bosten Lake the most, accounting for 55.53 %, while Ulungur Lake is also primarily affected by temperature, accounting for 58.71 %. Barkol Lake is mostly influenced by precipitation, which accounts for 35.95 %. 3) Temporally, Bosten Lake exhibits the largest area change range, whereas Ulungur Lake shows the smallest. Spatially, Barkol Lake experiences the most significant changes, and Bosten Lake undergoes the least. This suggests that ERA5 data can be utilized for regional meteorological and hydrological trend studies, and the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform's long-term water change monitoring capabilities may support sustainable development management of inland lakes. • From 2001–2022, the area of Bosten and Ulungur lakes decreased, while the Barkol lake increased. • Spatially, Barkol Lake showed the greatest change, while Bosten Lake showed the least change. • The temperature significantly affects the fluctuations of Bosten and Ulungur Lake.