Impacts of climate change on lakes and reservoirs dynamics and restoration policies |
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Authors: | G B Sahoo S G Schladow |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tahoe Environmental Research Center, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA |
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Abstract: | Meteorological-driven processes exert large and diverse impacts on lakes and their water quality; these impacts can be hydrologic,
thermal, hydraulic, chemical, biochemical, or ecological. The impact of climate change on Lake Tahoe (California–Nevada) was
investigated here as a case study of climate change effects on the physical processes occurring within lakes. The already
published trends of meteorological variables were used to assess the effects of global warming on Lake Tahoe dynamics. Records
from the period 1969–2002 show that Lake Tahoe has became warmer and more stable. A series of simulation years into the future
(i.e., 2000–2040) was established using flows, loads, and meteorology data sets for the period 1994–2004. Results of 40-year
simulations show that the lake continues to become warmer and more stable, and mixing is reduced. Possible changes in water
quality because of global warming are discussed through inference, although these are not specifically simulated. Many existing
problems may be exacerbated due to climate change, yet extreme uncertainty depends on the rate and magnitude of climate change.
Therefore, shifts in water quality and quantity due to climate change should be integrated into contemporary planning and
management in an adaptive manner, and the research and development of impact assessment methodology should focus on approaches
that can handle extreme uncertainty. The general alternatives for lake management due to climate change are discussed. Depending
on the specific case, further intensive research is suggested to restore lake water quality. |
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Keywords: | Climate change Lake clarity model Lake or reservoir mixing Lake restoration management scenarios Lake stability Lake water quality |
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