Amplified surface temperature response of cold, deep lakes to inter-annual air temperature variability

Woolway, R. I. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0498-7968 and Merchant, C. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4687-9850 (2017) Amplified surface temperature response of cold, deep lakes to inter-annual air temperature variability. Scientific Reports, 7 (1). 4130. ISSN 2045-2322 doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-04058-0

Abstract/Summary

Summer lake surface water temperatures (LSWTs) have previously been shown to respond more rapidly to climatic warming compared to local summer surface air temperatures (SATs). In a global- scale analysis, we explore the factors underpinning the observation of an amplified response of summer LSWT to SAT variability using 20 years of satellite-derived temperatures from 144 lakes. We demonstrate that the degree of amplification in inter-annual summer LSWT is variable, and is greater for cold lakes (e.g. high latitude and high altitude), which are characterised by a short warming season, and deep lakes, that exhibit long correlation timescales of temperature anomalies due to increased thermal inertia. Such lakes are more likely to display responses in excess of local inter-annual summer SAT variability. Climatic modification of LSWT has numerous consequences for water quality and lake ecosystems, so quantifying this amplified response at a global scale is important.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/70981
Identification Number/DOI	10.1038/s41598-017-04058-0
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > Department of Meteorology
Publisher	Nature Publishing Group
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