Science Daily January 21, 2021
Researchers at Michigan Technological University studied the five Laurentian Great Lakes bordering the U.S. and Canada; the three African Great Lakes, Tanganyika, Victoria, and Malawi; Lake Baikal in Russia; and Great Bear and Great Slave lakes in Canada. These 11 lakes hold more than 50% of the surface freshwater that millions of people and countless other creatures rely on. The rate of carbon fixation, that is the rate at which the algae photosynthesize, indicates change in the whole lake and that has ramifications all the way up the food chain, from the zooplankton to the fish. They found that three of the largest lakes in the world are showing a 20-25% change in overall biological productivity in just the past 16 years. According to the researchers changes appear to be related to climate change, including increasing temperatures and solar radiation, and decreasing wind speeds...read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Locations of the 11 lakes included in this study. Credit: Water 2020, 12(12), 3500