articleNature CommunicationsOct 1, 2022GOLD OA

Mapping global lake dynamics reveals the emerging roles of small lakes

Southern University of Science and Technology · University of Hong Kong · +6 more institutions

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Abstract

Abstract Lakes are important natural resources and carbon gas emitters and are undergoing rapid changes worldwide in response to climate change and human activities. A detailed global characterization of lakes and their long-term dynamics does not exist, which is however crucial for evaluating the associated impacts on water availability and carbon emissions. Here, we map 3.4 million lakes on a global scale, including their explicit maximum extents and probability-weighted area changes over the past four decades. From the beginning period (1984–1999) to the end (2010–2019), the lake area increased across all six continents analyzed, with a net change of +46,278 km 2 , and 56% of the expansion was attributed to…

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Authors

16

Topics & keywords

Keywords
  • Climate change
  • Environmental science
  • Global warming
  • Physical geography
  • Global change
  • Hydrology (agriculture)
  • Ecology
  • Geography
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Clean water and sanitation
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