Surface area dynamics of Gunt River Basin mountain lakes (Pamir, Tajikistan)

Abstract

The article discusses mountain lakes posing threat to downstream settlements and infrastructure based on the example of Lakes Rivakkul and Nimatskul in the Gunt River Basin. In recent decades, the number and area of lakes have been growing at an accelerated rate due to the shrinking of glaciers in the target basin home to over 600 such reservoirs. The elaboration of recommendations for the installation of early warning equipment to inform population about high-mountain lake outbursts is critical for the sustainable development of the Central Asian Region. The study aimed to investigate the surface area dynamics of 2 (two) mountain lakes in the Gunt River Basin during 2000-2019. Using remote sensing data, summary data were collected on their water supply, location and surface area. The paper presents the findings obtained based on Landsat 7-8 imagery (August and September 2000-2019). The harvested data showed that 2006 witnessed the maximum increase in the area of Lake Nimatskul, whereas the same was observed for Lake Rivakkul in 2010. During the study period (from 2000 to 2019), Lake Nimatskul demonstrated a gradual surface area decrease from 0.513 to 0.462 km2, while Lake Rivakkul remained more stable. It was established that the surface area dynamics of mountain lakes are closely related to meteorological parameters, and that surface and underground runoff stabilized lake surface area and water level.