The global warming He spares no one, not even the Italian lakes. The ever-increasing temperatures, due to climate change, are causing the lakes of the our country to exceed their natural limits, with dramatic consequences for ecosystems and the species that inhabit them. This alarming situation was recently confirmed by a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience and led by the South Korean Institute for Basic Sciences.
The threat of warming waters in Italian lakes
THE Italian lakesespecially the deeper ones in the North such as Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda, are recording an unprecedented warming of the surface waters. Aldo Marchetto, researcher at the Institute for Research on Waters of the National Research Council (Irsa-Cnr), explains that the increasing difference in temperature between surface and deep waters is reducing the circulation of oxygen, which is essential for the survival of many aquatic species.
There thermal stratification of lakes, that is, the clear division between the warmer waters on the surface and the colder ones in the depths, has become more marked. This phenomenon prevents the transport of oxygen towards the depths, further aggravating the problem of shortage of oxygen in the deep areas of the lakes. This condition is particularly critical in the deep lakes of Northern Italy, such as the Greater, Lugano, How, Iseo And Gardawhich represent more than80% of the country’s surface freshwater resources.
Consequences on biodiversity
There oxygen deficiency in deep waters has devastating repercussions on the organisms that live there. Marchetto underlines that many species could to disappearwhile others, less suited to colder conditions, might to proliferatealtering the lake ecosystem. Furthermorethe warming of the waters favors the proliferation of some species of algae That they get worse the quality of the watercreating further problems for the ecosystem.
A global view
The alarm does not only concern Italian lakes. Lei Huang, researcher at Capital Normal University of Beijing and co-author of the study, used a first-of-its-kind model to simulate the temperature trends of lakes from 1850 to 2100. Thanks to one of the computer faster than the Korea of the Souththe researchers have could distinguish natural temperature variations from those induced by human-caused climate change.
The results of the simulations are clear: by the end of the century, the lakes around the world will face drastically different climatic conditions. Tropical lakes they will be the first to experience unprecedented conditions when global warming reaches 2.4 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Lake organisms, often unable to move in search of more favorable conditions, are particularly vulnerable to these changes.
The need to act
Knowing when and how these changes will occur is essential to plan mitigation and adaptation actions. Protecting ecosystems lakes requires a global commitment and concrete actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming. Only in this way will it be possible to preserve biodiversity and ensure a sustainable future for our lakes.
In Italy, awareness of the problem is high, but more decisive interventions are needed. research and international collaboration are essential to face a challenge that knows no boundaries. Only by joining forces will it be possible to save our lakes and species that inhabit them.
How can we each contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change on our lakes? Share your ideas in the comments!
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