Publications by authors named "Curtis L Degasperi"
Article Synopsis
- The concentration of dissolved oxygen in lakes affects biodiversity, nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas emissions, and drinking water quality, yet long-term changes remain largely unexplored compared to oceans.
- A study of 45,148 profiles from 393 temperate lakes reveals widespread declines in dissolved oxygen levels, particularly in deep waters due to thermal stratification and loss of clarity, while surface waters show varied results.
- Declines in freshwater oxygen levels are significantly higher than those in oceans, raising concerns about the impact on essential lake ecosystem services amidst climate change and reduced water clarity.
One of the most important physical characteristics driving lifecycle events in lakes is stratification. Already subtle variations in the timing of stratification onset and break-up (phenology) are known to have major ecological effects, mainly by determining the availability of light, nutrients, carbon and oxygen to organisms. Despite its ecological importance, historic and future global changes in stratification phenology are unknown.
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- Ecological and biogeochemical processes in lakes are highly influenced by water temperature, with long-term surface warming being a clear trend, yet little research has been done on daily temperature variations.
- A study analyzed high-frequency temperature data from 100 lakes and found that smaller lakes (under 3 km²) experience significant daily temperature changes in the summer, often between 4 and 7°C.
- These daily fluctuations are likely to impact the ecological and biochemical dynamics of lakes, but the broader implications of these findings need further investigation.
We used a retrospective approach to identify hydrologic metrics with the greatest potential for ecological relevance for use as resource management tools (i.e., hydrologic indicators) in rapidly urbanizing basins of the Puget Lowland.
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