Rapid and highly variable warming of lake surface waters around the globe

Abstract In this first worldwide synthesis of in situ and satellite‐derived lake data, we find that lake summer surface water temperatures rose rapidly (global mean = 0.34°C decade −1 ) between 1985 and 2009. Our analyses show that surface water warming rates are dependent on combinations of climate and local characteristics, rather than just lake location, leading to the counterintuitive result that regional consistency in lake warming is the exception, rather than the rule. The most rapidly warming lakes are widely geographically distributed, and their warming is associated with interactions among different climatic factors—from seasonally ice‐covered lakes in areas where temperature and solar radiation are…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: 1147666, 1204267, 1030242, 1128040, 1136637
• NA
  National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  Award: GR 01201461929
• UD
  U.S. Department of Agriculture
• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Awards: ceh020002, ceh020005
• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Award: STR 499/6-1
• HJ
  Haridus- ja Teadusministeerium

  Award: IUT21-2
• IN
  Institut National Du Cancer
• RS
  Russian Science Foundation

  Award: 14-14-00400
• II
  Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research

  Award: CRN3038
• NI
  National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• IO
  Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• ES
  Earth Sciences Division
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Awards: ceh020005, ceh020002