Climate Change and the European Water Dimension - Agri ...
Climate Change and the European Water Dimension - Agri ...
Climate Change and the European Water Dimension - Agri ...
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Stability (J m 2 )<br />
The responses of <strong>the</strong>rmally stratified lakes to changes in <strong>the</strong> flux of heat <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
intensity of wind mixing are quite complex (Reynolds, 1984; Rouen et al., 2001).<br />
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80<br />
60<br />
40<br />
20<br />
0<br />
0<br />
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000<br />
Year<br />
Figure IV.B.1. Long-term variation in <strong>the</strong> summer stability of Esthwaite<br />
<strong>Water</strong>.<br />
Many of <strong>the</strong> seasonal changes recorded in <strong>the</strong> Atlantic Region are closely correlated<br />
with seasonal variations in <strong>the</strong> synoptic wea<strong>the</strong>r patterns (Lamb, 1972). Figure IV.B.1<br />
shows <strong>the</strong> long-term variation in <strong>the</strong> summer stability of Esthwaite <strong>Water</strong>, a small<br />
<strong>the</strong>rmally stratified lake in <strong>the</strong> English Lake District, in relation to <strong>the</strong> frequency of<br />
‘anticyclonic’ days. In <strong>the</strong> forty-year period shown, <strong>the</strong>re was a 15% increase in <strong>the</strong><br />
number of calm summer days <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> trend line fitted to <strong>the</strong> stability measurements<br />
is statistically significant at <strong>the</strong> 95% level. The scenarios produced by <strong>the</strong> United<br />
Kingdom <strong>Climate</strong> Impacts Programme (UKCIP, 2002) suggest that this trend will<br />
continue into <strong>the</strong> foreseeable future with <strong>the</strong> summer reductions in wind speed being<br />
most pronounced in <strong>the</strong> east of Irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> north of <strong>the</strong> UK.<br />
Memory <strong>and</strong> Sensitivity of Lakes<br />
The length of <strong>the</strong> period for how long <strong>the</strong> climate signal can be observed depends on<br />
<strong>the</strong> lake morphometry. Gerten <strong>and</strong> Adrian (2001) found circulating polymictic lakes to<br />
be least influenced by <strong>the</strong> winter effects of <strong>the</strong> NAO, with an effect lasting only into<br />
early spring. In contrast, in a deep dimictic lake with stable summer stratification, <strong>the</strong><br />
NAO signal persisted in <strong>the</strong> hypolimnion until <strong>the</strong> following winter. In high NAO years,<br />
hypolimnetic temperatures in this lake were up to 2ºC higher than in low NAO years.<br />
In very deep lakes that do not circulate fully each winter, a positive NAO phase may<br />
contribute to multi-annual deep water warming.<br />
Historical data sets of deep-water temperatures in Italian lakes reveal that a marked<br />
increase in <strong>the</strong> heat of <strong>the</strong> whole water mass is occurring, with evident changes in<br />
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Anticyclonic days