Alpine lakes reflect climate change

Global warming impacts lakes' structure, function and water quality

2013-06-06

(Press-News.org) Increases in temperature as a result of climate change are mirrored in lake waters where temperatures are also on the rise. A new study, by Dr. Martin Dokulil, retired researcher from the Institute for Limnology at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, forecasts surface water temperatures in large Austrian lakes for 2050 and discusses the impact on the lakes' structure, function and water quality. The research is published online in Springer's journal Hydrobiologia.

Austria has a multitude of lakes varying widely in type, size, flushing, altitude and geographic location. Most of these lakes are important ecosystems and are sensitive to environmental changes. Surface water temperature is directly affected by climate change and is an essential aspect for recreation on the lakes by tourists, particularly during the summer season.

Dokulil analyzed long-term data records for air temperature and surface water temperatures dating back to the mid-1960s from the Austrian Hydrological Yearbooks. The nine large lakes studied, in or bordering Austria, were situated in different climatic zones. From these data, Dokulil was able to project temperature trends for the lakes' surface waters and predict temperatures for 2050.

His work suggests that lake surface temperatures are likely to rise by up to 3oC in Austrian lakes by 2050 depending on the region, as a direct result of climate change.

Dr. Dokulil concludes: "The predicted changes in surface water temperatures will affect the thermal characteristics of the lakes. Warmer water temperatures could lead to enhanced nutrient loads and affect water quality by promoting algal blooms and impairing the biological functions of aquatic organisms. Significant increases in summer temperatures will also affect the carbon cycling in lakes, with potential consequences on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and the Earth's climate."

### Reference

Dokulil M (2013). Predicting summer surface water temperatures for large Austrian lakes in 2050 under climate change scenarios. Hydrobiologia; DOI 10.1007/s10705-013-1550-5

The full-text article is available to journalists on request.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study suggests second life for possible spintronic materials

2013-06-06

ATHENS, Ohio (June 6, 2013) – Ten years ago, scientists were convinced that a combination of manganese and gallium nitride could be a key material to create spintronics, the next generation of electronic devices that operate on properties found at the nanoscale. But researchers grew discouraged when experiments indicated that the two materials were as harmonious as oil and water. A new study led by Ohio University physicists suggests that scientists should take another look at this materials duo, which once was heralded for its potential to be the building block for devices ...

Quantum teleportation between atomic systems over long distances

2013-06-06

Researchers have been able to teleport information from light to light at a quantum level for several years. In 2006, researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute succeeded in teleporting between light and gas atoms. Now the research group has succeeded in teleporting information between two clouds of gas atoms and to carry out the teleportation – not just one or a few times, but successfully every single time. The results are published in the scientific journal, Nature Physics. "It is a very important step for quantum information research to have achieved such stable results ...

Readily-available drugs may reduce devastating symptoms of Tay-Sachs disease: Study

2013-06-06

A team of researchers has made a significant discovery which may have a dramatic impact on children stricken with Tay-Sachs disease, a degenerative and fatal neurological condition that often strikes in the early months of life. Available drugs may dramatically ease a child's suffering, say scientists. "There is hope for this disease," says Suleiman Igdoura, lead researcher of the study and an associate professor of biology at McMaster University. "Imagine what that could mean for parents who have a child diagnosed with this incurable condition, who may have only ...

Research unveils insight into a debilitating brain disease

2013-06-06

Athens, Ga. – From the neurons that enable thought to the keratinocytes that make toenails grow–a complex canopy of sugar molecules, commonly known as glycans, envelop every living cell in the human body. These complex carbohydrate chains perform a host of vital functions, providing the necessary machinery for cells to communicate, replicate and survive. It stands to reason, then, that when something goes wrong with a person's glycans, something goes wrong with them. Now, researchers at the University of Georgia are learning how changes in normal glycan behavior are ...

Vitamin D deficiency may help spread of hepatitis B throughout liver

2013-06-06

Researchers from Germany have found that low levels of vitamin D are associated with high levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. Findings published online in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, suggest seasonal fluctuations in vitamin D and HBV levels point to a link in these variables among patients with chronic HBV. While highly effective vaccines are available, HBV still remains one of the most significant infectious diseases worldwide. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that HBV is 50 to 100 ...

Study finds one in four patients with newly-diagnosed erectile dysfunction is a young man

2013-06-06

In a recent analysis of one outpatient clinic, one in four men seeking medical help for newly-developed erectile dysfunction (ED) was younger than 40 years, and nearly half of young men with the condition had severe ED. While larger population-based studies are needed, the findings, which were published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, suggest that erectile dysfunction in young men may be more prevalent and more serious than previously thought. Erectile dysfunction is a common complaint in men over 40 years of age. Prevalence increases with age, but the prevalence ...

UGA study shows current laws don't prevent Sub-Saharan 'land grabbing'

2013-06-06

Athens, Ga. – Sub-Saharan Africa has foreign investors flocking to buy its fertile land. Sometimes referred to as "land grabbing," the large-scale buying or leasing of large tracts of land in developing countries shifts indigenous, or customary, land rights from chiefs and local communities to investors or national governments, often stripping native people of a source of income. The laws, its practices and eventual outcomes for the countries and people involved are the topic of one recent study led by University of Georgia anthropologist Laura German. Looking at ...

Surgeons at Duke University Hospital implant bioengineered vein

2013-06-06

DURHAM, N.C. – In a first-of-its-kind operation in the United States, a team of doctors at Duke University Hospital helped create a bioengineered blood vessel and implanted it into the arm of a patient with end-stage kidney disease. The procedure, the first U.S. clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of the bioengineered blood vessel, is a milestone in the field of tissue engineering. The new vein is an off-the-shelf, human cell-based product with no biological properties that would cause organ rejection. Using technology developed at Duke and at a spin-off ...

Buckle up the right way: Motor vehicle child safety restraints

2013-06-06

ROSEMONT, Ill.—Supplemental child restraints should be used by all children through age 8. When appropriate child safety restraint systems—based on a child's age and weight—are in use during motor vehicle crashes, the rates of mortality and serious injury significantly decrease. Most parents don't know that their older children—ages 4 to 8—should use additional measures to protect them from serious injury or death in case of a crash. In a literature review appearing in the June 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS), researchers ...

Excessive Facebook use can damage relationships, MU study finds

2013-06-06

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Facebook and other social networking web sites have revolutionized the way people create and maintain relationships. However, new research shows that Facebook use could actually be damaging to users' romantic relationships. Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the University of Missouri School of Journalism, found that individuals who use Facebook excessively are far more likely to experience Facebook–related conflict with their romantic partners, which then may cause negative relationship outcomes including emotional and physical cheating, breakup and ...

International survey finds that support for climate interventions is tied to being hopeful and worried about climate change

NRG Oncology trial supports radiotherapy alone following radical hysterectomy should remain the standard of care for early-stage, intermediate-risk cervical cancer

Alpine lakes reflect climate change

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: