American scientists from the Rensseller Polytechnic Institute were able to fix the decrease in the level of oxygen in freshwater lakes. According to experts, such a phenomenon is caused by accelerating the pace of global warming on Earth.
According to scientific works published in the journal Nature June 2, experts investigated 393 reservoirs, most of which are located in moderate latitudes. The study included work carried out from 1941 to 2017.
It turned out that the lakes lose oxygen at 2.75-9.3 times faster than the world ocean, which negatively affects their ecosystems.
The study showed that since 1980, the oxygen content in the reservoirs decreased by 5.5% on the surface and 18.6% at the bottom. The reason for this scientists called an increase in the temperature of fresh water by 0.38 degrees for 10 years.
Due to climate change in the lakes, the blue-green algae began to multiply, adversely affecting the organisms living in fresh water.
Methane anaerobic bacteria released under such conditions increases greenhouse gas emissions, which only accelerates the pace of climate change.
So, experts concluded that warming can lead to the depletion of reserves of drinking water on Earth, as well as to violation of the balance of freshwater ecosystems.