A record-breaking extreme heat event caused unprecedented warming of lakes in China

Wang, Weijia; Shi, Kun; Wang, Xiwen; Wang, Siqi; Zhang, Dong; Peng, Yuanyuan; Li, Na; Zhang, Yunlin; Zhang, Yibo; Qin, Boqiang; Woolway, R. Iestyn; Jeppesen, Erik

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2023.03.001

Cited by 27 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…In the summer of 2022, China suffered the most intense and prolonged extreme heat event since 1961 17 . The average number of extreme heat days in China in 2022 was about twice the level of 1985-2021, and the average cumulative heat was approximately three times higher than before.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even subtle changes in the physical or chemical processes within a lake due to sudden LSWT fluctuations can have substantial ecological impacts, threatening the survival of aquatic lives, especially when water levels and oxygen concentrations decreased 19 . One of the most severe heat extremes in the last 60 years swept through China during the summer of 2022, resulting in a remarkable increase in LSWT of 1.63 °C compared to the period from 2000 to 2021 17 . This extreme event triggered a series of catastrophes, including a decrease in water level, a dramatic reduction in water surface area, a massive die-off of aquatic organisms, and a shortage of water and electricity supply for the residents of surrounding cities 17 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of extreme heat on lake warming in China

Wang,

Shi,

Wang

et al. 2024

Nat Commun

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Global lake ecosystems are subjected to an increased occurrence of heat extremes, yet their impact on lake warming remains poorly understood. In this study, we employed a hybrid physically-based/statistical model to assess the contribution of heat extremes to variations in surface water temperature of 2260 lakes in China from 1985 to 2022. Our study indicates that heat extremes are increasing at a rate of about 2.08 days/decade and an intensity of about 0.03 °C/ day·decade in China. The warming rate of lake surface water temperature decreases from 0.16 °C/decade to 0.13 °C/decade after removing heat extremes. Heat extremes exert a considerable influence on long-term lake surface temperature changes, contributing 36.5% of the warming trends within the studied lakes. Given the important influence of heat extremes on the mean warming of lake surface waters, it is imperative that they are adequately accounted for in climate impact studies.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of extreme heat on lake warming in China

Wang,

Shi,

Wang

et al. 2024

Nat Commun

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“…Nevertheless, the turnover rate of organic carbon in freshwater can reach 28.8 times and 292 times that of terrestrial soil and the marine water column, respectively (Catalán et al., 2016), so freshwaters may be much larger absolute hotspots of CO 2 release (Raymond et al., 2013). Under the most stringent scenario (SSP1‐2.6) and worst‐case scenario (SSP5‐8.5) of global warming, the annual mean lake surface water temperature of China will increase by 1.0 and 2.2°C, respectively, during the period 2071–2100 compared to the reference period of 1980–2009 (Wang et al., 2023). As a result, CO 2 emissions from lake sediments are preliminary estimated to increase by 5.4 ± 3.8% and 12.4 ± 8.7%, respectively, according to the obtained Q 10 and the assumption that the surface sediment temperature in shallow lakes is the same as the surface water temperature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature sensitivity of organic carbon decomposition in lake sediments is mediated by chemodiversity

Wen,

Hu,

Jiang

et al. 2024

Global Change Biology

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Organic carbon decomposition in lake sediments contributes substantially to the global carbon cycle and is strongly affected by temperature. However, the magnitude of temperature sensitivity (Q10) of decomposition and the underlying factors remain unclear at the continental scale. Carbon quality temperature (CQT) hypothesis asserts that less reactive and more recalcitrant molecules tend to have higher temperature sensitivities, but its support is challenged by complex composition of organic matter and environmental constraints. Here, we quantified Q10 of the sediments across 50 freshwater ecosystems along a 3500 km north–south transect, and characterized the quality of sediment dissolved organic carbon with chemodiversity reflected in molecular richness, functional traits (i.e., molecular weight, bioavailability, etc.) and composition. We further included classic environmental variables, such as climatic, physicochemical and microbial factors, to explore how Q10 is constrained by these factors or carbon quality. We found that Q10 varied greatly across lakes, with the mean value of 1.78 ± 0.62, but showed nonsignificant latitudinal pattern. Q10 was primarily predicted by chemodiversity and showed an increasing trend with the biochemical recalcitrance indicated by traits such as aromaticity and standard Gibb's Free Energy at both molecular and compositional levels. This suggests that carbon quality is the crucial determinant of Q10 in lakes, supporting the CQT hypothesis. Moreover, Q10 decreased linearly with the increase of molecular richness, implying that the resistance of decomposition to warming is associated with higher molecular diversity. Compared with the structural equation model containing only environmental variables, inclusion of chemodiversity increased 32.8% of the explained variation in Q10, and chemodiversity was the only driver showing direct effects. Collectively, this study illustrates the importance of chemodiversity in shaping the pattern of Q10, and has significant implications for accurately predicting the carbon turnover in lake ecosystems in the context of global warming.

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“…Because simulation data for average annual water temperature in the future (2050) scenario model did not exist, we considered that the increase in water temperatures in 2050 for both scenarios would be approximately half of that projected for future lake surface water temperatures (2071–2100). With lake surface water temperatures expected to increase by 1.0 [0.7, 1.7] °C under the RCP2.6 scenario, and 2.2 [1.8, 3.3] °C under the RCP8.5 scenarios for 2071–2100 (Wang et al., 2023), we added 0.2°C to each present‐day annual water temperature grid value to represent expected water temperatures for the year 2050 in RCP2.6, and 1°C for RCP8.5 scenarios.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of endemic cold‐water amphipods threatened by climate warming in northwestern China

Huang,

Liu,

Tong

et al. 2023

Diversity and Distributions

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AimClimate change threatens freshwater faunal diversity. To prioritize areas for conservation, patterns in the distribution of species must be understood. We apply genetic analysis and species distribution models to identify patterns in the distribution of freshwater amphipods around Xinjiang, China, and project the impact of climate change on endemic species.LocationXinjiang, China.MethodsA time‐calibrated tree containing 37 freshwater amphipod molecular samples from Xinjiang is built to calculate phylogenetic diversity (PD), the standardized effect sizes of PD, weighted endemism, and phylogenetic endemism, in 100 × 100 km grid cells. Niche differentiation among species in an area of high phylogenetic endemism is explored using n‐dimensional hypervolumes and principal components analyses. Present‐day and projected future suitability of habitat of endemic freshwater amphipod species is described using species distribution models.ResultsAreas of high freshwater amphipod diversity occur along the western boundary of Xinjiang; Areas north of Irtysh River, Tian Shan mountains, and the eastern margin of Pamir, have high phylogenetic endemism. Seasonal temperature and average annual water temperature contribute most to niche differentiation between geographically related freshwater species, negatively affect the projected distributions of endemic amphipods, and with continued warming, reduce future range distributions or latitudinal shifts of species.Main ConclusionsHigh freshwater amphipod phylogenetic endemism occurs in Xinjiang. Environmental factors are responsible for niche differentiation of endemic species. Future climate change will substantially affect the geographic distributions of endemic amphipods. Conservation efforts should be prioritized in areas with highly concentrated phylogenetic endemism.

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A record-breaking extreme heat event caused unprecedented warming of lakes in China

Cited by 27 publications

References 15 publications

The impact of extreme heat on lake warming in China

The impact of extreme heat on lake warming in China

Temperature sensitivity of organic carbon decomposition in lake sediments is mediated by chemodiversity

Diversity of endemic cold‐water amphipods threatened by climate warming in northwestern China

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