Lake ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change. They can be affected by many aspects of a warming climate, including changes in precipitation and evaporation, runoff and river discharge, cloud cover and ultraviolet radiation. Of course, temperature itself is also a factor. The temperature of water in lakes has been rising in recent times, in line with the rise in air temperatures, but faster. This finding is important, because lake ecology can be extremely temperature-sensitive: even small increases in temperature can have dramatic effects on water quality and ecosystems. This Environment Today examines the increase in lake temperatures worldwide and assesses some of the possible implications.
A study of more than 150 large lakes all over the world, published in 2010, found that surface water temperature had been rapidly warming over the period 1985–2009. Data from satellite images of the Earth’s surface showed that, on average, temperatures warmed at the rate of 0.45°C per decade, or slightly more than 1.1°C during the 25-year study period. Some lakes warmed at more than twice that rate.
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
