| 1. |
- Hou, Xuejiao, et al.
(author)
-
Global mapping reveals increase in lacustrine algal blooms over the past decade
- 2022
-
In: Nature Geoscience. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1752-0894 .- 1752-0908. ; 15:2, s. 130-134
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Algal blooms constitute an emerging threat to global inland water quality, yet their spatial and temporal distribution at the global scale remains largely unknown. Here we establish a global bloom database, using 2.91 million Landsat satellite images from 1982 to 2019 to characterize algal blooms in 248,243 freshwater lakes, representing 57.1% of the global lake area. We show that 21,878 lakes (8.8%) spread across six continents have experienced algal blooms. The median bloom occurrence of affected lakes was 4.6%, but this frequency is increasing; we found increased bloom risks in the 2010s, globally (except for Oceania). The most pronounced increases were found in Asia and Africa, mostly in developing countries that remain reliant on agricultural fertilizer. As algal blooms continue to expand in scale and magnitude, this baseline census will be vital towards future risk assessments and mitigation efforts.
|
|
| 2. |
- Pi, Xuehui, et al.
(author)
-
Mapping global lake dynamics reveals the emerging roles of small lakes
- 2022
-
In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 13:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lakes are important natural resources and carbon gas emitters and are undergoing rapid changes worldwide in response to climate change and human activities. A detailed global characterization of lakes and their long-term dynamics does not exist, which is however crucial for evaluating the associated impacts on water availability and carbon emissions. Here, we map 3.4 million lakes on a global scale, including their explicit maximum extents and probability-weighted area changes over the past four decades. From the beginning period (1984–1999) to the end (2010–2019), the lake area increased across all six continents analyzed, with a net change of +46,278 km2, and 56% of the expansion was attributed to reservoirs. Interestingly, although small lakes (<1 km2) accounted for just 15% of the global lake area, they dominated the variability in total lake size in half of the global inland lake regions. The identified lake area increase over time led to higher lacustrine carbon emissions, mostly attributed to small lakes. Our findings illustrate the emerging roles of small lakes in regulating not only local inland water variability, but also the global trends of surface water extent and carbon emissions.
|
|
| 3. |
- Wang, Xinchi, et al.
(author)
-
Continuous Loss of Global Lake Ice Across Two Centuries Revealed by Satellite Observations and Numerical Modeling
- 2022
-
In: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276. ; 49:12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lake ice loss has been detected worldwide due to recent climate warming, yet spatially and temporally detailed information on the changes in global ice phenology does not exist. Here, we build a global lake ice phenology database comprising three lake ice phenologies—freeze-up, break-up, and ice duration—for each year across two centuries (1900–2099). The timing of all three phenologies experienced mild but statistically significant warming trends in the 20th century; continued warming trends were detected in ∼60% of the lakes from 2001 to 2020. Under a high emissions scenario (RCP 8.5), future global median ice duration would be shortened by 49.9 days by the end of the 21st century; such change can be substantially reduced under lower emission scenarios. We revealed continuous loss of global lake ice during the observed period, our generated database provides critical baseline information to evaluate the consequences of historical and future lake ice changes.
|
|
