Rondaxe Lake in Herkimer County, New York, represents classic Adirondack Park waters.
Rondaxe Lake in Herkimer County, New York, represents classic Adirondack Park waters. But over the last quarter-century, Rondaxe – like thousands of lakes in temperate zones around the world – has been losing a global-warming battle to maintain oxygen in its waters.
New research from Cornell and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that a continually warming world is leading to extended, late-summer weeks of water stratification, which prompts oxygen deprivation in the water – provoking conditions called hypoxia (low oxygen) and anoxia (no oxygen) – and negative consequences for fish and other species.
The work was published Dec. 6 in the journal Global Change Biology.
“Lakes with dissolved oxygen losses strongly outnumber those with gains,” said lead author Stephen Jane, a postdoctoral fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. “At large scales, aerobic organisms are losing available habitat as warming of lakes continues. This is particularly the case for organisms that rely on well-oxygenated cool waters deep in lakes to survive warm periods.”
Read more at: Cornell University
Under a cloudless blue sky, Lake Lila gleams in the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area in Adirondack Park, New York. Lakes like this are becoming susceptible to oxygen loss, thanks to a warming world. (Photo Credit: Stephen Jane)
