World's lakes are warming surprisingly quickly due to climate change
Lakes around the world are warming surprisingly quickly due to climate change, threatening the global water supply. And lakes in Canada are some of the fastest-warming in the world, a new study shows.
The warming waters can lead to problems like toxic algae blooms that make water undrinkable, declines in fish populations that people rely on for food and other serious problems, warns the international team of researchers that released the study this week.
"If air temperatures continue to increase and this influences water supply and water quality, that has a huge implication for humans as we need fresh water to survive," said Sapna Sharma, a researcher at Toronto's York University who was one of the lead authors of the report.
The study looked at 235 lakes on six continents representing half the world's freshwater supply. Their surface temperatures between 1985 and 2009 had been measured both directly and using satellites.
The lakes had different sizes, depths, locations and other characteristics, but despite their variability, "over 90 per cent of them had a clear signal of warming," said Sharma. "I didn't expect to see that."
World's lakes are warming surprisingly quickly due to climate change - Technology & Science - CBC News
Lakes around the world are warming surprisingly quickly due to climate change, threatening the global water supply. And lakes in Canada are some of the fastest-warming in the world, a new study shows.
The warming waters can lead to problems like toxic algae blooms that make water undrinkable, declines in fish populations that people rely on for food and other serious problems, warns the international team of researchers that released the study this week.
"If air temperatures continue to increase and this influences water supply and water quality, that has a huge implication for humans as we need fresh water to survive," said Sapna Sharma, a researcher at Toronto's York University who was one of the lead authors of the report.
The study looked at 235 lakes on six continents representing half the world's freshwater supply. Their surface temperatures between 1985 and 2009 had been measured both directly and using satellites.
The lakes had different sizes, depths, locations and other characteristics, but despite their variability, "over 90 per cent of them had a clear signal of warming," said Sharma. "I didn't expect to see that."
World's lakes are warming surprisingly quickly due to climate change - Technology & Science - CBC News