Ma. Cristina Paule-Mercado

Lakes, natural or artificial, are important sources of freshwater and are frequently managed to provide ecosystem services. Consequently, the water balance and water quality in lake ecosystems could be subject to different stressors associated to physical, chemical, or anthropogenic activities. Therefore, this study provides insights into the factors that influence the water balance of selected European lakes and their implications on water quality. An analysis of isotopic, chemical, and land use data using statistical and artificial intelligence models showed that climate, in particular air temperature and precipitation, played a key role in intensifying evaporation losses from lakes. Groundwater table depth and other catchment factors also had an impact on the water balance. The study also highlights that lakes at lower altitudes with shallow depths and catchments dominated by urban or crop cover were more sensitive to water balance changes. These lakes had higher evaporation-to-inflow ratios and increased levels of total nitrogen concentration in the water. However, lakes at higher elevations with deeper depths and a predominantly forested catchment area are less sensitive to changes in the water balance. These lakes, which are often of glacial origin, were characterized by lower evaporation losses and, thus, better water quality in terms of total nitrogen concentration. Overall, understanding the relationship between water balance and water quality is crucial for effective lake management and the preservation of freshwater ecosystems.

Increasing levels of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in watercourses in the northern hemisphere are mainly due to reduced acid rain, climate change, and changes in agricultural practices. However, their impacts vary in time and space. To predict how DOM responds to changes in environmental pressures, we need to differentiate between allochthonous and autochthonous sources as well as identify anthropogenic DOM. In this study we distinguish between allochthonous, autochthonous, and anthropogenic sources of DOM in a diverse watercourse network by assessing effects of land cover on water quality and using DOM characterization tools. The main sources of DOM at the studied site are forests discharging allochthonous humic DOM, autochthonous fulvic DOM, and runoff from urban sites and fish farms with high levels of anthropogenic DOM rich in protein-like material. Specific UV absorbency (sUVa) distinguishes allochthonous DOM from autochthonous and anthropogenic DOM. Anthropogenic DOM differs from autochthonous fulvic DOM by containing elevated levels of protein-like material. DOM from fishponds is distinguished from autochthonous and sewage DOM by having high sUVa. DOM characteristics are thus valuable tools for deconvoluting the various sources of DOM, enabling water resource managers to identify anthropogenic sources of DOM and predict future trends in DOM.

Increasing levels of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in watercourses in the Northern hemisphere is mainly due to reduced acid rain, climate change, and changes in agricultural practices. However, their impacts vary in time and space. To predict how DOM respond to changes in environmental pressures we need to differentiate between allochthonous and autochthonous sources, as well as identify anthropogenic DOM. In this study we distinguish between allochthonous, autochthonous, and anthropogenic sources of DOM in a diverse watercourse network using DOM characterization tools and by assessing effects of land cover on water quality. Main sources of DOM are forests discharging allochthonous humic DOM, autochthonous fulvic DOM, and runoff from urban sites and fish farms with high levels of anthropogenic DOM rich in protein like material. Specific UV absorbency (sUVa) distinguish allochthonous DOM from autochthonous and anthropogenic DOM. Anthropogenic DOM differ from autochthonous fulvic DOM by containing elevated levels of protein like material. DOM from fishponds is distinguished from autochthonous and sewage DOM by having high sUVa. DOM characteristics thus provide valuable tools for deconvoluting the various sources of DOM allowing water resource managers to predict future trends in DOM and detect anthropogenic sources of DOM.

Phosphorus (P) precipitation is among the most effective treatments to mitigate lake eutrophication. However, after a period of high effectiveness, studies have shown possible re-eutrophication and the return of harmful algal blooms. While such abrupt ecological changes were attributed to the internal P loading, the role of lake warming and its potential synergistic effects with internal loading, thus far, has been understudied. Here, in a eutrophic lake in central Germany, we quantified the driving mechanisms of the abrupt re-eutrophication and cyanobacterial blooms in 2016 (30 years after the first P precipitation). A process-based lake ecosystem model (GOTM-WET) was established using a high-frequency monitoring data set covering contrasting trophic states. Model analyses suggested that the internal P release accounted for 68% of the cyanobacterial biomass proliferation, while lake warming contributed to 32%, including direct effects via promoting growth (18%) and synergistic effects via intensifying internal P loading (14%). The model further showed that the synergy was attributed to prolonged lake hypolimnion warming and oxygen depletion. Our study unravels the substantial role of lake warming in promoting cyanobacterial blooms in re-eutrophicated lakes. The warming effects on cyanobacteria via promoting internal loading need more attention in lake management, particularly for urban lakes.

Cyanobacterial blooms have substantial direct and indirect negative impacts on freshwater ecosystems including releasing toxins, blocking light needed by other organisms, and depleting oxygen. There is growing concern over the potential for climate change to promote cyanobacterial blooms, as the positive effects of increasing lake surface temperature on cyanobacterial growth are well documented in the literature; however, there is increasing evidence that cyanobacterial blooms are also being initiated and persisting in relatively cold‐water temperatures (< 15°C), including ice‐covered conditions. In this work, we provide evidence of freshwater cold‐water cyanobacterial blooms, review abiotic drivers and physiological adaptations leading to these blooms, offer a typology of these lesser‐studied cold‐water cyanobacterial blooms, and discuss their occurrence under changing climate conditions.