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A team of biologists and natural resource specialists from Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, both in New York, have found evidence suggesting that fish in some New York lakes are losing habitat due to dual threat linked to climate change.
In their article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesThe group describes its analysis of water data collected from browning lake water samples over a 20-year period from 28 lakes in the Adirondack region of upstate New York.
Browning is a term that was developed to describe changes in lake water as material accumulates in it, reducing its clarity. Previous research has shown that browning can also cause heat to be trapped at the surface, which can lead to reduced oxygen levels in the water. If sufficient reductions occur, a lake, or part of it, may become uninhabitable for fish and/or other marine creatures. Previous research has also shown that lake surface temperatures are increasing around the world, accompanied by reductions in oxygen levels, endangering the creatures that live there, especially those that need cold water to survive.
In this new effort, the research team wondered whether New York’s lakes might experience an increase in browning due to rising temperatures associated with climate change. To find out, they obtained and analyzed water data from the Adirondack Lakes (involving 28 lakes) during the years 1994 to 2012, created by other researchers who studied the lakes in this region. They also looked at another dataset created by other researchers who conducted field work aimed at assessing the water conditions of 15 Adirondack lakes in 2021.
Analyzing all the data, the team discovered a trend: Lake surface temperatures in the Adirondacks slowly increased, as did the degree of browning, particularly in late summer, a finding that suggests a reduction of habitat capable of supporting marine life in the form of oxygen. levels are falling. Specifically, researchers found that lake brook trout (a cold-water fish) were facing a reduction in viable habitats due to increased water temperatures and reduced water levels. oxygen in the lake, thus putting their survival in danger.
More information:
Stephen F. Jane et al, Simultaneous warming and browning eliminates cold-water fish habitat in many temperate lakes, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306906120
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