U of M Researchers Find as Planet Warms, The World's Lakes Are Losing Oxygen Rapidly
Published:07 Jun.2021 Source:University of Minnesota
Oxygen levels in the world’s temperate freshwater lakes are declining at rates faster than in the oceans, according to new research from the University of Minnesota and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It’s a trend researchers found is largely driven by climate change and land use, threatening freshwater biodiversity and the quality of drinking water.
Researchers analyzed more than 45,000 dissolved oxygen and temperature profiles collected from 1941 to 2017 from nearly 400 lakes around the globe, including 84 lakes from Minnesota, including dozens of Metro area lakes, as well as Leech Lake southeast of Bemidji and Lake Itasca in southeastern Clearwater County. Loss of oxygen in deep waters of lakes has a number of implications for biodiversity and ecosystem function, including: a loss of habitat for organisms that require cold, oxygenated water (including coldwater fish such as cisco, whitefish, and lake trout), the global greenhouse gas emissions, and nutrient biogeochemistry, which ultimately impacts human health.