青藏高原色林错流域区冰川消融对湖泊水量变化的影响

青藏高原大部分湖泊近年来持续扩张,湖泊水位和水量明显增加.冰川消融是流域水量平衡和水循环的重要影响因素,直接导致湖泊水量变化.由于缺乏大范围的冰川质量平衡观测结果,青藏高原冰川消融对湖泊水量变化的影响仍存在较大争议.本文选择青藏高原内流区的色林错流域区(水系编号5Z2)作为研究对象,利用SRTM DEM和TanDEM-X双站InSAR数据,精确估算该流域三个主要冰川区(普若岗日、格拉丹东和西念青唐古拉)2000—2012年的冰川质量平衡,依次为:-0.020±0.030、-0.128±0.049、-0.143±0.032m·w.e.·a^-1.并据此采用面积加权法准确推估出5Z2流域的冰川质量变化为:-0.166±0.021Gt·a^-1.综合ICESat和Cryosat-2卫星测高数据,计算该流域2003—2012年湖泊水量变化速率(3.006±0.202Gt·a^-1),并定量评估冰川质量变化对5Z2流域湖泊水量增加的贡献为:5.52%±1.07%,因此在青藏高原色林错流域区,冰川消融不是导致21世纪初期湖泊水位上升的主要因素.     

蒙新高原湖泊水质状况及变化特征

蒙新高原位于干旱/半干旱气候区,区内湖泊众多,但多为盐湖和咸水湖.近年来,由于湖泊咸化、萎缩甚至干涸的过程加快,区内多数湖泊水资源严重短缺,湖泊及其流域的生态环境遭遇巨大破坏.本文选取蒙新地区11个淡水和微咸水湖泊,通过对不同区域和不同类型的湖泊水质状况分析和对比研究,揭示蒙新地区湖泊水质现状及其变化特征与原因.结果表明,新疆地区湖泊类型多样,湖水阴、阳离子涵盖了各种水化学类型,而内蒙湖泊均为钠组-氯化物型.不同湖泊间湖水离子浓度和矿化度差异较大,湖水交换是蒙新地区湖泊水体矿化度的主要影响因素;与1988年相比,哈纳斯湖、阜康天池和赛里木湖等山地湖泊矿化度无明显变化或呈下降趋势,反映了区域气候变化特征;柴窝堡湖和红碱淖湖水矿化度快速升高,而达里诺尔水体矿化度增幅较小,其差异反映了修筑水库、地下水开采等人类活动在湖泊水环境变化中的不同作用.近50年来,乌伦古湖、博斯腾湖、吉力湖和乌梁素海水体矿化度波动升高,尤其近年来矿化度升高趋势加快,反映了流域内工农业等人类活动增强而导致入湖污染物增加以及气候干旱引起湖水浓缩两个方面所产生的叠加效应.     

耦合营养负荷的查干湖全季节适宜生态水位阈值研究

适宜生态水位作为反应湖泊水文情势的重要指标,是维持湖泊生态系统稳定的关键要素。已有研究大多集中于水文过程对生态系统影响,缺乏耦合考虑湖泊营养负荷的全季节生态水位阈值研究。本研究在刻画恢复天然水位情势的基础上,综合考虑了人类活动导致湖泊营养负荷的季节性波动以及冰封期的最小生态水位,构建了适用于季节性冰封湖泊全季节的适宜生态水位阈值获取的综合框架,确定了年内不同时期适宜生态水位阈值。结果表明,查干湖入湖口非冰封期的总氮(TN)浓度与平均水位均呈上升趋势,总磷(TP)浓度呈下降趋势;6月湖内TN和TP滞留量最高,分别达到1044.36和23.61 t;确定了查干湖全季节不同时期的适宜生态水位,冰封期(11月—次年4月)为129m,汛期(6—9月)为130.15～130.86 m,非汛期(5和10月)为130.08～130.57 m。研究结果可为季节性冰封湖泊的适宜生态水位研究提供方法支撑,也可为湖泊的水环境管理提供理论支撑。     

Quantitative comparison of river inflows to a rapidly expanding lake in central Tibetan Plateau

The recent rapid expansion of inland lakes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are a good indicator of the consequences of climate change. Quantifying the hydrological cycle of the lake basin is fundamentally important to understand the causes of lake growth. However, the hydrological processes of the TP interior are very complex and difficult to investigate because of the lack of observations. This is especially true for estimating the lake changes when run‐off inflows are affected by small lakes located in the flow routes within drainage areas. We used an integrated hydrological model, in combination with glacier melt and lake retention models, to analyse the run‐off inflows to Lake Siling Co, the largest endorheic lake in Tibet. It includes four subdrainage basins: Zhajiazangbu, Zhagenzangbu, Alizangbu, and Boquzangbu. Lake Siling Co was characterized by considerable increases during warm season from 1981 to 2012, due to the increased run‐off from Zhajiazangbu accounting for about 51–62% of the total run‐off inflows. Moreover, the dramatic increases exhibited during cold seasons were related to the increased retention water released from the small lakes within Zhagenzangbu and Alizangbu. Of the studied subdrainage basins, Boquzangbu contributed the least during both warm and cold seasons. On average, the annual amount of evaporation from lakes within the drainage area was about 2 times greater than that of glacier melt run‐off. Our results suggest that the retention effects of lakes on river inflows should receive more attention, because understanding these effects is potentially crucial to improved understanding of lake variations in the TP.     

Isotopic variation in the lake water balance at the Yamdruk‐tso basin,southern Tibetan Plateau

The use of stable isotopes is a practical tool in the study of the lake water budget. This is an one way to study the hydrological cycle in the large numbers of inland lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, in which the isotope record of the sediment is believed to reflect the climatic and environmental changes. The monitoring of stable isotopes of the precipitation, river and lake waters during 2004 in the inland Yamdruk‐tso basin, southern Tibetan Plateau, reveals the lake water δ¹⁸O is over 10‰ higher than the local precipitation. This high difference indicates strong isotope enrichment due to lake water evaporation. The simulation results based on the isotope technique show that the present lake water δ¹⁸O level corresponds to an average relative humidity of around 54–58% during evaporation, which is very close to the instrumental observation. The simulation results also show that the inland lakes on the Tibetan Plateau have a strong adjustability to the isotope shift of input water δ¹⁸O. On average, the isotope component in the inland lake water is to a large extent controlled by the local relative humidity, and can also be impacted by a shift of the local precipitation isotope component. This is probably responsible for the large consistence in the isotope component in the extensive inland lakes on the Tibetan Plateau. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于长时间序列(1975—2020年)生态耗水的岱海动态生态需水分析

生态需水是湖泊生态系统的重要指标,维持着湖泊生态系统的良性循环.以内蒙古中部半干旱湖泊岱海为研究对象,对湖泊动态生态需水进行分析.本研究在遥感和气象数据的基础上,获得1975-2020年长时间序列高精度水文要素数据,分析岱海水文要素时空演变规律;通过天然生态水深分析法、水深经验频率分析法和湖泊形态分析法分析岱海的水深随面积变化的关键水深;构建基于生态耗水规律的湖泊生态需水模型,计算自然状态下岱海生态需水动态变化范围.研究结果如下:岱海地区6-9月为丰水期,10月至次年5月为枯水期;45 a以来岱海水面面积呈显著下降趋势,近年来下降速率减缓;枯水期岱海适宜生态水深为8.72~9.92 m,丰水期为9.40~10.69 m,适宜生态需水量为5.62亿~7.71亿m³,适宜湖面面积为70.92~84.77 km².本文构建了长时间序列气候水文数据库,确定岱海动态生态需水范围可以实现对湖泊生态健康的实时监测,为相关规划与管理提供科学依据及可操作性指导,从而为岱海湖泊治理提供理论参考.     

全球变化下青藏高原湖泊在地表水循环中的作用

青藏高原是地球上最重要的高海拔地区之一,对全球变化具有敏感响应.青藏高原作为"亚洲水塔",其地表水资源及其变化对高原本身及周边地区的经济社会发展具有重要的影响.然而,在气候变暖的情况下,构成高原地表水资源的各个组分,如冰川、湖泊、河流、降水等水体的相变及其转化却鲜为人知.湖泊是青藏高原地表水体相变和水循环的关键环节.湖泊面积、水位和水量对西风和印度季风的降水变化非常敏感,但湖泊面积和水量变化在不同区域和时段的响应也不尽相同.湖泊水温对气候变暖具有明显响应,湖泊水温和水下温跃层深度的变化能够对水—气的热量交换具有明显影响,从而影响了区域蒸发和降水等水循环过程.由于湖泊水量增加,高原中部色林错地区湖泊盐度自1970s以来普遍下降.根据60多个湖泊实地监测建立的遥感反演模型研究发现,2000—2019年湖泊透明度普遍升高.对不同补给类型的大湖水量平衡监测发现,影响湖泊变化的气象和水文要素具有较大差异.在目前的暖湿气候条件下,青藏高原的湖泊将会持续扩张.为了深入认识湖泊变化在青藏高原区域水循环和气候变化中的作用,需要全面了解湖泊水量赋存及连续的时间序列变化,需要深入了解湖泊理化参数变化及对湖泊大气之间热量交换的影响,需要更多来自大湖流域的综合连续观测数据.     

21世纪以来泛北极湖泊水位变化时空特征及原因探讨

在全球气候变暖和极端气候事件增加的背景下,流域水文循环过程受到的影响越来越强烈,导致湖泊水位变化表现出复杂的时空特征。而泛北极地区是地球上湖泊数量与面积分布最为集中的区域之一,该地区湖泊对气候变化响应非常敏感。因此,了解这些湖泊近期水文变化特征十分必要。本研究共搜集了36个泛北极大型湖泊(>500 km²)基于遥感或站点观测的近20年水位数据,分析其时空变化特征。本文使用线性回归模型来估算湖泊水位的变化趋势,进而利用皮尔逊相关分析了其主要水文影响变量和大气环流机制,并运用Mann-Kendall突变检验法探讨了水位突变的原因。结果表明,泛北极湖泊的水位整体上呈现不同程度上升(平均速率为0.013 m/a),有23个(64%)湖泊的水位呈上升趋势;研究湖泊中有10个通过90%统计显著性检验。其中,水位上升速率最大的湖泊是位于哈萨克斯坦的腾吉兹湖,上升速率为0.078 m/a。泛北极湖泊水位的波动主要与径流有关,有19个(53%)湖泊的水位波动与径流的增加更为相关;相比而言,位于亚洲的极地湖泊水位的上升与流域蒸发的降低显著相关,尤其是库苏古尔湖。从区域大气环流影响来看,泛北极湖泊水位变化主要与厄尔尼诺-南方涛动有关,其次是北极涛动和北大西洋涛动。本研究有助于加深对泛北极湖泊近20年水位变化规律及气候影响特征的科学理解。     

湖泊生态水位计算新方法与应用

水位是湖泊水文情势的主要特征指标,对湖泊的水量、水质和生物的栖息地等有直接或间接的影响,被认为是湖泊生态系统健康的关键影响因素.如何确定合理的湖泊水位以保证生态系统健康成为湖泊科学研究的重要科学问题.根据湖泊天然水位情势,从天然水文变化中识别多项反映完整水位过程的指标,构建了湖泊生态水位的计算方法.从湖泊天然水位情势中提取出高、低水位的历时、发生时间和变化率等水位指数来表征其生态水位.该方法弥补了传统湖泊生态水位计算方法仅给出最小生态水位的不足,体现了湖泊生态系统健康对水位过程的要求.基于提出的生态水位计算方法和鄱阳湖都昌水位站1952-2000年共49年的日均监测数据,计算了鄱阳湖的生态水位目标值区间,以期为鄱阳湖水利工程生态调度提供决策依据.     

Effects of permafrost degradation on thermokarst lake hydrochemistry in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

Thermokarst lakes play a key role in the hydrological and biogeochemical cycles of permafrost regions. Current knowledge regarding the changes caused by permafrost degradation to the hydrochemistry of lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is limited. To address this gap, a systematic investigation of thermokarst lake water, suprapermafrost water, ground ice, and precipitation was conducted in the hinterland of the QTP. The thermokarst lake water in the QTP was identified to be of the Na-HCO₃-Cl type. The mean concentrations of HCO₃⁻ and Na⁺ were 281.8 mg L⁻¹ (146.0–546.2 mg L⁻¹) and 73.3 mg L⁻¹ (9.2–345.8 mg L⁻¹), respectively. The concentrations of Li⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, F⁻, NO₂⁻, and NO₃⁻ were relatively low. Freeze-out fractionation concentrated the dissolved solids within the lake water during winter, which was deeply deepened on lake depth and lake ice thickness. Owing to solute enrichment, the ground ice was characterized by high salinity. Conversely, repeated replenishment via precipitation led to lower solute concentrations in the ground ice near the permafrost table compared to that within the permafrost. Although lower solute concentration existed in precipitation, the soil leaching and saline ground ice melting processes enhanced the solute load in suprapermafrost water, which is considered an important water and solute resource in thermokarst lakes. The influencing mechanism of permafrost degradation on thermokarst lake hydrochemistry is presumably linked to: (1) the liberation of soluble materials sequestered in ground ice; (2) the increase of solutes in suprapermafrost water and soil pore water; and (3) the changes in lake morphometry. These results have major implications on the understanding of the effects of ground ice melting on ecosystem functions, biogeochemical processes, and energy balance in a rapidly changing climate.     

乌梁素海盐分在冰-水-沉积物间的分布及迁移特征

盐分是参与湖泊物质循环的重要成分之一,湖泊盐度增加对湖泊生态系统健康造成了严重的威胁.乌梁素海总溶解性固体（TDS）和盐度均处于较高的水平,为揭示盐分在冰-水-沉积物中的分布及迁移规律,冰封期在乌梁素海7个采样点采集冰、冰下水和不同深度沉积物样品,分析样品的TDS、Na⁺和Cl^-浓度,得到各自在冰-水间浓度的比值,即分配系数K,并对水-沉积物界面Na⁺和Cl^-的扩散通量进行估算.结果显示,TDS、Na⁺和Cl^-在冰-水中分配系数K的均值分别为0.02、0.03和0.01,表明在湖水结冰形成冰盖的过程中,随着冰晶的析出,TDS、Na⁺和Cl^-逐渐在水体中浓缩,水体中Na⁺和Cl^-在浓度梯度驱动力作用下,向沉积物间隙水中扩散,估算其扩散通量均值分别为-229和-676 mg/（m²·d）.总之,湖水在冻结过程中,由于冰晶的析出,盐分向冰下水体中迁移,使得盐分浓度在冰下水体中浓缩增加,继而向沉积物中迁移,对湖泊水生态环境构成胁迫.     

巴丹吉林沙漠盐湖跃层对地下淡水排泄的指示作用

位于阿拉善高原的巴丹吉林沙漠分布有大量盐湖.为揭示盐湖分层特征以及地下水对盐湖水体的影响,选取沙漠腹地的第二大盐湖——苏木巴润吉林,对9月份湖水的温度和电导率剖面进行了观测.结果表明,尽管所测盐湖宽深比大于90,还是存在温跃层.温跃层的矿化度(TDS)为60~160 g/L,靠近湖底的水体存在TDS低值异常区,形成化跃层,推测为地下淡水集中排泄所致.这种湖底泉在其它较浅的盐湖水体中也存在,说明深、浅层地下水对盐湖水分及盐分都有贡献.温跃层水温随深度的变化近似符合静止水体的热传导规律,并没有受到地下水排泄热量的显著影响.研究区盐湖跃层的季节性变化还有待进一步研究.     

Diatom assemblages and quantitative reconstruction for paleosalinity from a sediment core of Chencuo Lake,southern Tibet

Changing salinity in lakes and especially in closed lakes depends mainly on the balance between precipitation, runoff and evaporation in arid and semi-arid areas, hence influencing lake levels di-rectly[1-4]. Past salinity has been recovered by a vari-ety of environmental indicators from lake sediments such as diatoms, chironomids, ostracoda, isotopes of ostracoda shells, geochemistry, and isotopes of authi-cabonates[3,5—10]. Recently, with extensive data-base study on diatom-salinity transfe…     

西藏扎布耶盐湖水位Winters和ARIMA模型分析

由于温室效应,气温加速上升,我国西部干旱一半干旱盐湖区盐湖水位出现加速下降或上升等变化．藏北高原湖泊众多,但都缺少湖水位的人工观测记录．中国地质科学院盐湖中心自1990年始在西藏扎布耶盐湖建立了长期科学观测站,进行水位动态观测,积累了连续13年珍贵的数据．如何根据湖泊水位历史记录数据,准确的定量预测水位中短期变化,是关系着盐湖资源开发命运的大事．本文用Winters线性和季节性指数平滑法、ARIMA乘积季节模型两种时间序列分析方法,根据西藏扎布耶盐湖1991年1月-2003年12月水位变化的时间序列数据,探讨了两种时间序列数据的预测方法在盐湖水位动态变化预测中的应用．     

Tracing contributions to hydro‐isotopic differences between two adjacent lakes in the southern Tibetan Plateau

Hydrological processes of lakes in the Tibetan Plateau are an important indicator of climate change. Due to the high elevation, inaccessibility and limited availability of historical observations, water budget evaluation of typical lake basins has been inadequate. In this study, stable isotopes are used to trace the multiple water sources contributing to two adjacent lakes on the north slope of the Himalayas, Gongmo‐tso and Drem‐tso. The two lakes have nearly the same elevation, lake area and climatic condition. However, the isotopic composition of the two lakes presents significant differences. Qualitative observations attribute the differences to hydrological discrepancies: Gongmo‐tso is a through‐flow lake, whereas Drem‐tso is a terminal lake. Quantitative analyses, including water and isotope mass balance modelling, clarify the fluxes and isotopic compositions among the various hydrological elements. The isotopic composition of input water, calculated as the summation of rainfall and upstream runoff, is estimated using the local meteoric water line (LMWL) combined with the time series of lake water isotope values. The isotopic composition of evaporation is calculated with a linear resistance model using local meteorological data. The results show that Drem‐tso is a closed lake in a hydrological steady state with relatively more enriched lake water isotope values resulting mainly from evaporation. In contrast, through‐flow accounts for more than 88% of the water input into Gongmo‐tso. The large amount of upstream runoff with lower isotopic composition and enrichment due to evaporation are the major contributions to the observed lake water isotope values. Isotopic modelling of the two neighbouring lakes is effective for isotopic and hydrological research in this region with limited in situ observations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

盐度对湖冰冻结过程中氮磷营养盐排出效应的影响

伴随结冰过程的盐分排出是驱动冰封浅湖营养盐动态变化的关键过程,影响湖泊水质、环境与生态演变.为探究湖冰冻融过程如何改变寒区浅湖营养盐条件,采用自制定向冻结装置开展了无机氮磷营养盐溶液(NH₃-N、NO^-₂-N、NO^-₃-N、PO^3-₄-P)的室内冻结试验,结合现场采样分析评估了冻结排出效应对典型浅湖氮磷营养盐的影响.结果表明:营养盐浓度、盐度(以NaCl表征)是影响冻结排出效率的关键因素;随营养盐浓度的升高,冰内营养盐浓度升高,但冻结分离系数减小;若盐度升高,冰内营养盐浓度和分离系数均增大,主要与未冻卤水泡的形成有关;3种形态的无机氮、磷酸根的分离系数均存在明显差异.将试验结果应用于内蒙古乌梁素海结冰期氮磷营养分析,计算表明湖冰冻结排盐过程不仅造成湖水各类营养盐浓度升高,同时改变无机氮素构成、氮磷比等营养结构状态;特别是若湖泊盐度发生变化,氮磷营养盐的冻结排出效率及其差异性均会显著改变,增加冰封期湖泊营养条件的时空变异性.本文结果可广泛应用于定量评价冰层冻融过程对冬季湖泊营养条件的影响,有助于理解冰封期浮游植物群落演变的内在驱动力.     

1990年以来柴达木盆地小柴旦湖扩张及影响分析

柴达木盆地盐湖对维系区域生态平衡、保障农业安全和国民经济发展具有重要的作用。受青藏高原气候暖湿化影响,盆地湖泊格局发生了一系列变化。为分析盆地盐湖变化特征,本文以小柴旦湖为例,基于长时间序列卫星数据,利用随机森林法提取盐湖水域范围并解构、评估“点—线—面”形态变化,同时构建矿化度指数表征盐湖资源禀赋。结果表明:(1) 1990—2022年小柴旦湖面积呈“缓减—缓增—快增”的阶段性变化特征,岸线长度呈阶段性变化(2016年后增长明显),湖泊质心总体向西北方向迁移,截止2022年湖泊质心累计迁移距离为2363.49 m。(2) 1990—2022年矿化度指数波动下降,呈“淡化”态势。(3)气象数据显示研究区年平均气温升高、年降水量增多、年潜在蒸散量下降,处于暖湿化轻度转型期,降水增多、蒸发下降、增温引起的冰雪融水增加综合叠加效应引起区域水资源增加,进而导致湖泊扩张和“淡化”。(4)小柴旦湖扩张和“淡化”对社会经济和生态平衡影响明显,一方面,影响湖区周边基础设施,近70 km²区域受淹没直接影响,包括德小高速公路、柳格高速公路部分路段;另一方面,作为资源型湖泊,小柴旦湖...     

2016—2020年长江中游典型湖泊水质和富营养化演变特征及其驱动因素

“十三五”时期,长江流域水环境质量改善明显,但湖泊水质和富营养化状况改善滞后.长江中游作为我国淡水湖泊集中分布区域之一,部分湖泊存在水环境质量恶化和富营养化加重问题.本文以长江中游区域国家开展监测的洪湖、斧头湖、梁子湖、大通湖、洞庭湖和鄱阳湖这6个典型湖泊为研究对象,科学评价其2016-2020年水质和富营养化时空变化特征及关键驱动因素,探讨其成因及治理对策.结果表明,“十三五”时期长江中游湖泊水质和富营养化程度存在较大差异,与2016年相比,2020年大通湖水质改善最为明显,梁子湖水质变差,总磷是影响长江中游湖泊水质类别的主要因子;洪湖富营养程度恶化最为严重,斧头湖次之,TLI(SD)对长江中游湖泊富营养化评价贡献最大.目前长江中游湖泊呈有机污染加重和叶绿素。浓度升高现象,洪湖、斧头湖和梁子湖主要与氮、磷营养盐浓度升高有关,而大通湖、洞庭湖和鄱阳湖受水文过程、流域纳污量和湖泊管理等非营养盐因素影响较大.总氮和总磷仍然是影响“十三五”时期长江中游湖泊水质和富营养化的最主要驱动力,且各湖泊总氮和总磷浓度变化均具有较强正相关性,建议开展河湖氮、磷标准衔接工作,提出河湖氮、磷标准限值或考核目...     

青藏高原盐湖卤水中溴的分布特征及来源初探

溴是完备工业体系的关键必备元素。盐湖卤水是溴的重要来源。青藏高原盐湖众多,富含钾、锂、硼等资源元素,开发潜力巨大。然而,目前针对青藏高原盐湖溴浓度、分布特征及其物源的研究仍然薄弱。本次研究采集了26个青藏高原盐湖表卤水样品并分析其溴浓度,进一步总结其他64个已报道盐湖数据,系统分析了青藏高原盐湖溴浓度分布特征,并进一步探讨了溴的可能物源。结果表明:青藏高原盐湖表卤水溴分布在0.5～246.8 mg/L之间,平均为41.1 mg/L,其中,碳酸盐型盐湖卤水平均溴浓度最高(47.0 mg/L),且集中分布在高原南部,而氯化物型盐湖平均溴浓度最低(30.1mg/L),盐湖溴浓度呈现自南向北降低的趋势;青藏高原盐湖中溴有多种来源,高原南部富溴盐湖溴的来源可能主要与热泉补给有关,而柴达木盆地盐湖高溴来源可能主要与深部地层水(如油田水、背斜构造裂隙孔隙水、砂砾孔隙卤水、气田水等)补给有关。     

Hydrogeochemical and lake level changes in the Ethiopian Rift

The Ethiopian Rift is characterized by a chain of lakes varying in size, hydrological and hydrogeological settings. The rift lakes and feeder rivers are used for irrigation, soda extraction, commercial fish farming and recreation, and support a wide variety of endemic birds and wild animals. The level of some lakes shows dramatic changes in the last few decades. Lakes Abiyata and Beseka, both heavily impacted by human activities, show contrasting lake level trends: the level of Abiyata has dropped by about 5 m over three decades while Beseka has expanded from an area of 2.5–40 km² over the same span of time. Changes in lake levels are accompanied by dilution in ionic concentration of lake Beseka and increase in salinity of lake Abiyata. Although the principal hydrogeochemical process in the rift lakes is controlled by the input and output conditions and carbonate precipitation, anthropogenic factors such as water diversion for irrigation and soda ash extraction played important role. The recent changes appear to have grave environmental consequences on the fragile rift ecosystem, which demands an integrated basin-wide water management practice. This paper demonstrates the drastic changes of lake levels and associated changes in lake chemistry of the two studied lakes. It also gives the regional hydrogeochemical picture of the other rift lakes that do not show significant response due to climate change and human impact.