High-Resolution Bathymetric Survey and Updated Morphometric Analysis of Lake Markakol (Kazakhstan)
Zhadi A. Madibekov A. Zhumatayev S. Ismukhanova L. Sultanbekova B. Zhumalipov A. Raimbekova Z. Rodrigo-Clavero M.-E. Rodrigo-Ilarri J.
September 2025Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Hydrology
2025#12Issue 9
Accurate and up-to-date morphometric data on lakes are crucial for hydrological modeling, ecosystem monitoring, and sustainable water resource management. This study presents the first centimeter-scale, high-resolution bathymetric model of Lake Markakol (eastern Kazakhstan), generated using advanced hydroacoustic and geospatial techniques. The primary objective was to reassess key morphometric parameters—surface area, depth, volume, and shoreline configuration—more than six decades after the only existing survey from 1962. High-density depth data were acquired with a Lowrance HDS-12 Live echo sounder, achieving vertical precision of ±0.17 m, and processed using ReefMaster and ArcGIS to produce a three-dimensional, hydrologically correct model of the lake basin. Compared with archival data, results show that while the surface area (455.365 ± 0.005 km2), length (38.304 ± 0.002 km), and width (19.138 ± 0.002 km) have remained stable, the maximum depth is lower (24.14 ± 0.17 m vs. 27 m), and the total water volume is slightly higher (6.667 ± 0.025 km3 vs. 6.37 km3). These differences highlight both the limitations of historical lead-line surveys and the enhanced accuracy of modern hydroacoustic and GIS-based methods. The workflow developed here is transferable to other remote alpine lakes, providing an invaluable baseline for limnological research, ecological assessment, hydrodynamic modeling, and long-term water resource management strategies in data-scarce mountain regions.
bathymetry , GIS , hydrography , Lake Markakol , morphometric analysis , water depth
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
Department Water Resources and Reclamation, Water, Land and Forest Resources Faculty, Kazakh National Agrarian Research University, Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan
Institute of Geography and Water Security Joint Stock Company, Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan
Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan-China Joint Laboratory for Remote Sensing Technologies and Application, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Instituto de Ingeniería del Agua y del Medio Ambiente (IIAMA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, 46022, Spain
Department Water Resources and Reclamation
Institute of Geography and Water Security Joint Stock Company
Department of Meteorology and Hydrology
Kazakhstan-China Joint Laboratory for Remote Sensing Technologies and Application
Instituto de Ingeniería del Agua y del Medio Ambiente (IIAMA)
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026