Researchers analyzed satellite images of China taken between 1984 and 2015 and estimated that the number of inland waterbodies-- lakes, ponds, and impoundments--larger than 1 km2 is 0.3-1.5 times higher than previous estimates, and the surface area of all waterbodies in China combined is 0.2-0.5 times larger than previous estimates; the authors also found that climate change and human activity contributed to the disappearance of existing waterbodies, except in high-elevation regions where waterbodies expanded from glacier melting.
Article #19-10872: "Inland water bodies in China: Features discovered in the long-term satellite data," by Shuailong Feng et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Shuguang Liu, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, CHINA; tel: 086-13521671918; email: shuguang.liu@yahoo.com
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences