Decreasing Groundwater Supply Can Exacerbate Lake Warming and Trigger Algal Blooms

Abstract

The physical consequences of increasing lake surface temperatures and decreasing ice cover duration include changes in evaporation rates, mixing-regime, and increasing duration or intensity of thermal stratification (Sharma et al., 2019;Wang, 2018;. Moreover, seasonal changes in the timing and duration of overturn and stratification in response to climate change, link trends of surface warming to deep water temperatures of lakes (Anderson et al., 2021). These physical changes, in turn, alter the ecological functioning of lakes, nutrient cycling (Tong et al., 2021), oxygen availability (Zhang et al., 2015), primary production (O'Reilly et al., 2003;Verburg, 2003), and aquatic food web structure (Tanentzap et al., 2020). Temperature changes can alter the rates of chemical reactions, aquatic ecosystem metabolism, biological growth rates, photosynthesis and respiration rates and can disturb ecosystem equilibrium (Carpenter et al., 2011;Woolway et al., 2016). Moreover, increased water temperature and the subsequent changes in stratification often negatively affect water quality of inland water bodies (Chang et al., 2015). In addition, lake warming is associated with an

Groundwater in Crisis? Addressing Groundwater Challenges in Michigan (USA) as a Template for the Great Lakes

“…Groundwater is one of the most important resources on the planet, serving as a source of drinking and irrigation water for billions of people [1,2]. However, overextraction can result in depletion and contamination [3][4][5][6], as well as impacts to lakes as reduced groundwater inflows result in warming lake temperatures that trigger algal blooms [7]. Given the global significance of groundwater, considerable attention is being paid to the need for sustainable management of this resource, including managed aquifer recharge [8], integrated management planning [9], and a greater emphasis on conservation [10].…”

“…Management responses to this problem include: (1) enhancing the capture and reuse of subsurface drainage effluent; (2) better management of subsurface drainage flows; (3) updating and developing drainage systems maps; (4) incentivizing the implementation of rural stormwater BMPs (e.g., retention/recharge infiltration ponds); (5) updating statewide maps of groundwater recharge potential; (6) improving public education and outreach; and (7) expanding groundwater monitoring networks to improve management of subsurface drain flow and recharge.…”