Abstract
Compounded weather events such as sequential heatwaves are likely to increasingly impact freshwater ecosystems in the future. Satellite-derived chlorophyll-a concentration estimates for 36 European lakes during a widespread double heatwave event in the summer of 2019 show that deep and medium depth lakes at higher latitudes displayed a synchronous chlorophyll-a increase with temperature, possibly as the result of an improved light climate resulting from increased stratification. Many deep or northern lakes had a notable response to the heatwaves. Warmer, southern shallow lakes had the most asynchronous response, tending to show a greater response to subsequent low pressure or storm events than to the heatwave itself. Chlorophyll-a peaks typically occurred five days after the peak of the heatwave for shallow lakes. For some shallow lakes, the sequential cycle of several heatwaves and low pressure events was found to punctuate the seasonal pattern of chlorophyll-a. Notably, in several of these nutrient-rich lakes the response to the heatwave was dwarfed by large algal blooms occurring later during the typical cyanobacterial bloom period in early autumn, underlining the importance of timing and phenology in response to heatwaves in addition to depth, latitude and trophic state.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.