The Warming of Earth's Lakes by Olivia Raymond (extra credit)

In an article from Science Daily.com “Earth’s Lakes Are Warming, NASA Study Finds” a study conducted by scientists from NASA found that Earth’s bodies of water, especially lakes, have increased “an average warming rate of 0.45 degrees Celsius (0.81 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade, with some lakes warming as much as 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade”. This increase in temperature has been happening over the past 25 years as a direct result of climate change. Scientists measure the temperature trends of lakes, oceans, rivers, and other bodies of water through the use of data collected from thermal infrared satellites. The researchers from NASA used this method for their study to collect data and found a trend of change of warming water temperatures. The data focused on lake temperatures from night time during the months of “July to September in the Northern Hemisphere and January to March in the Southern Hemisphere”. The negative impacts of warming water in lakes affect the ecosystems that live within these bodies of water. These impacts include “algal blooms that can make a lake toxic to fish or result in the introduction of non-native species that change the lake's natural ecosystem”. NASA’s researchers chose the bodies of water for their study based on large surface area, distance from shore lines, and other unique scientific characteristics. The study found that the largest concentrated area of warming water is in northern Europe. In the United States the southwest was warming more so than the Great Lakes region. This article relates to our class because the hydrosphere is one of the main focuses of our studies in Earth Science. Though the article doesn’t exactly state how we can help stop the warming of our waters I think we can do so by eliminating the emissions of greenhouse gasses. Climate change is a direct result of global warming and is what is causing our waters to warm up. We can help stop or at least decrease this trend by eliminating our carbon foot print and the emissions of Carbon Dioxide and other toxins into our atmosphere.


NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2010, November 29). Earth's lakes are warming, NASA study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 3, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2010/11/101128220357.htm