Climate change accelerates the evolution of reorganized river-lake systems on the Tibetan Plateau

Climate change is increasingly destabilizing hydrological systems in cold regions, driving lake and river drainage reorganization with profound ecological and socio-economic impacts. Here we investigate intensified hydrological changes in the Zonag and Yanhu Lake drainage basins, located in the Hoh Xil region of the Tibetan Plateau, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. Using field observations, satellite remote sensing, and climate data, we show that since 2019 these previously endorheic lakes have connected to the headwaters of the Yangtze River, expanding its basin. The region’s extreme precipitation events have heightened lake outburst risks, while the retreating lake shores, which have triggered more frequent sandstorms since 2011, degrading habitats for Tibetan antelope. Climate projections indicate persistent hydrological and ecological instability through 2035. Our findings highlight urgent needs for adaptive water management to mitigate flood risks associated with potential lake outbursts and to combat ecological degradation driven by ongoing sandification. Climate change is causing rapid changes in hydrological and ecological processes in the Zonag and Yanhu Lake drainage basins of the Tibetan Plateau, potentially increasing the risk of secondary lakeshore failures, flooding, and sand encroachment, according to analysis of hydrological changes.