The Response of Lake Levels and Areas to Climate Change

Changes in climate can often be exhibited in the changes in levels and areas of lakes, especially those that are closed to outlets. The water balance equation is analyzed to show the response of lake area and level to sinusoidal variations, steps, and spikes in aridity. These lakes act as a simple l...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Climatic change 1994-06, Vol.27 (2), p.161-161
Main Authors: Mason, I M, Guzkowska, MAJ, Rapley, C G, Street-Perrott, F A
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Changes in climate can often be exhibited in the changes in levels and areas of lakes, especially those that are closed to outlets. The water balance equation is analyzed to show the response of lake area and level to sinusoidal variations, steps, and spikes in aridity. These lakes act as a simple low-pass filter with a characteristic equilibrium response time. This response time is a function of lake geomorphology and climate, and is demonstrated to range from 350 yr for closed lakes to 2.9 d to 2 yr for open lakes. The effects of changes in runoff on open lakes are also analyzed.
ISSN:0165-0009
DOI:10.1007/BF01093590