Potential Impacts of Climatic Change on Lake and Reservoir Water Quality

Varis, O. & Somlyody, L. (1993). Potential Impacts of Climatic Change on Lake and Reservoir Water Quality. IIASA Working Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: WP-93-025

Preview

Text WP-93-025.pdf Download (933kB) | Preview

Abstract

Climatic change may have very diverse impacts on lakes and their water quality. This paper groups them to hydrologic, thermal, hydraulic, chemical, biochemical, and ecological ones. Their interrelations and potential changes, and their contributions to lake water quality problems, are reviewed and discussed, and checklist tables for planning, management, and impact assessment purposes are provided. Water quality problems are clustered to eutrophication, oxygen depletion, hygienic problems, salinization, acidification, toxic and cumulative substances, turbidity and suspended matter, and thermal pollution. Many of these problems may worsen due to the climatic change, yet an extreme uncertainty exists at any case specific level. Therefore, the possibility of water quality and quantity shifts due to climatic change are suggested to be integrated into contemporary planning and management in an adaptive manner, and the research and development of the impact assessment methodology are suggested to be focused on approaches that can handle extreme uncertainties. The very high uncertainty level in water quality management has obtained an additional highly uncertain component.

Actions (login required)

View Item