Climate change and Swiss lakes

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - A new simulation study shows that climate change risks significantly altering water temperature, ice cover and mixing of many Swiss lakes. Mid altitude lakes are especially under pressure, running the risk of completely losing ice cover and no longer fully mixing twice per year. Such a change would have fundamental consequences for the functioning of lake ecosystems. Lakes are subject to strong seasonal cycles. In many Swiss lakes at medium and high altitudes, the water mixes from the surface to the bottom in spring and fall. These vertical overturn events influence many chemical and ecological processes. Oxygen rich and nutrient poor water from the surface mix with oxygen-depleted and nutrient-rich waters from the deep water.