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Underwater ultraviolet radiation in China’s lakes is increasing at a rate of 0.14 watt per square meter per year per decade disrupting lake ecosystems, based on in situ observations, satellite images, and deep learning models applied across 1,278 lakes in China from 1990 to 2020.

The flow of water between rivers and floodplains—surface water connectivity—showed a net global increase from 1984 to 2019 driven by climate and anthropogenic changes and shaping sediment transport, according to a study of satellite observations.

High warming rates may exceed an organism’s ability to track their thermal habitats. The velocity of climate change in inland standing waters will increase markedly under future warming, making freshwater species particularly vulnerable because their habitat is fragmented in the landscape.

“Dissolved oxygen (DO) sustains river ecosystems, but the effects of hydrological extremes remain poorly understood. Here it is shown that sudden floods cause abrupt declines in DO, suggesting that increased future flooding may lead to the degradation of aquatic ecosystems.

How lake temperatures are responding to widespread changes in lake ice remains unclear. Here the authors show the excess lake warming during the ice-off and ice-on month due to earlier ice loss and later ice formation across the Northern Hemisphere.

Heatwaves in lakes are increasing with climate change, but are typically studied at the surface; little is known about heatwave dynamics with depth. This study finds subsurface heatwaves last longer, but are less intense than surface heatwaves and have increased in frequency over the past 40 years.

Floating photovoltaics represent a promising alternative to land-based solar panels. A large-scale analysis, comprising 1 million water bodies worldwide, shows that floating photovoltaics could contribute 16%, on average, of the electricity demands of some countries.

The study finds elevated CO₂ reduces methylmercury production across 45 freshwater lakes spanning 1200 longitudinal kilometers, specifically 54–96% in eutrophic ones, by shifting methanogenic pathways, highlighting the need to integrate climate drivers for methylmercury risk predictions.

River heatwaves are becoming stronger and longer-lasting globally. Nearly half of the world’s rivers will reach a ‘permanent’ (year-round) heatwave state by the 2090 s under high greenhouse gas emissions scenario, and annual population exposure will reach 16.8 billion person-weeks.

Satellite data reveals a rise in multivariate extreme events in lakes since the 1980s, largely linked to agricultural practices and mean climatic warming.

Earth system models project that lake temperatures will warm beyond the range of natural variability to which aquatic ecosystems are adapted in the coming decades, with conditions exceeding natural analogues sooner at lower latitudes.

Water temperature influences lake ecosystems, but little is known about changes in its seasonality. This study shows that the timing of spring temperatures will arrive earlier whilst autumn temperatures will be delayed globally under climate change.

Up to 35,000 lakes in the Northern Hemisphere may be at risk of intermittent winter ice cover at 2 °C warming, reveals an observation-based study. This would affect 394 million people reliant on lake ice for ecosystem services.

Extreme and compound events in lakes are increasing in severity and frequency in response to climate change and basin-scale anthropogenic stressors. This Review explores the occurrence, drivers and impact of such events, focusing on their physical and ecological drivers, impacts and management responses.

Mid-high latitude lakes exhibit amplified heat release to the atmosphere due to an ice-loss feedback, revealing distinct responses to global warming between lakes in colder and warmer regions.

Monthly mapping of multisource remote-sensing data for 1.4 million lakes reveals that seasonality is the dominant driver of lake-surface-extent variations globally.

Lake total organic carbon storage is usually assumed to be a constant. Here, the authors demonstrate that dissolved and particulate organic carbon storage increase by 45% and 34%, respectively, in Chinses lakes during 1984–2023.

Lake surface water temperatures have increased over recent decades, mainly driven by atmospheric conditions. Here the authors demonstrate that heat events drive a disproportionately large part of this lake surface warming and increases in lake heatwaves.

Large inland lakes tend to increase the atmospheric boundary layer height over nearby land areas and reduce it over the lake itself, with the dominant mechanisms (thermal, moisture, and dynamic processes) varying with season, lake elevation, size, and latitude.

Model projections suggest that, even under a low-emissions scenario, lakes on the Tibetan Plateau will increase in area by about 50% by 2100, with widespread impacts on infrastructure and ecosystems.

This study quantifies and attributes the changes of surface water storage in global dryland basins over 1985–2020, indicating that long-term changes are mainly linked to anthropogenic factors rather than precipitation.

Increases in lake surface water temperature could threaten lacustrine ecosystems. This study explores the widespread temperature increases in 92,245 lakes across the globe, showing that less than half of the lake warming is due to surface air temperature change and that accelerated evaporation causes slower lake warming compared with surface air temperature.

Using measurements from 139 global lakes, the authors demonstrate how long-term thermal habitat change in lakes is exacerbated by species’ seasonal and depth-related constraints. They further reveal higher change in tropical lakes, and those with high biodiversity and endemism.

Heat extremes occur more frequently with global warming. Here the authors show that short-term heat extremes play a critical role in shaping long-term dynamics of lake surface temperature, contributing 36.5% of the warming trends in Chinese lakes.

Analysis of temperate lakes finds a widespread decline in dissolved oxygen concentrations in surface and deep waters, which is associated with reduced solubility at warmer surface water temperatures and increased stratification at depth.

2024 global mean lake surface water temperature (LSWT) was 0.3 °C greater than the 2001–2023 average, the fourth highest on record. Particularly strong positive — and record-breaking — LSWT anomalies occurred throughout Canada and north-eastern Europe, in some cases exceeding 2 °C.

Stratification has a considerable influence on lake ecology, but there is little understanding of past or future changes in its seasonality. Here, the authors use modelling and empirical data to determine that between 1901–2099, climate change causes stratification to start earlier and end later.

Modelling and remote sensing show that by the end of the twenty-first century, lake heatwaves will be several degrees Celsius warmer and some will be months longer, with potentially major adverse consequences for lake ecosystems.

Water temperature is a critical variable for lakes, but its spatial and temporal patterns are not well characterised globally. Here, the authors use surface temperature dynamics to define lake thermal regions that group lakes with similar patterns, and show how these regions shift under climate change.

Anthropogenic climate change is impacting the temperature and ice cover of lakes across the globe, according to an attribution analysis based on hindcasts and projections from lake models.

Many lakes that currently mix once or twice a year may become permanently stratified or mix only once in a warming climate, suggest numerical simulations of lake mixing regimes. Mixing regimes are most affected by ice-cover duration and surface temperatures.

Over the past two decades, lake heatwaves have become more intense than atmospheric ones due to declining wind speeds, which stabilise water column stratification and increase surface heating, according to analysis of daily surface water and air temperature from 265 lakes during 2000–2022.

Rising global temperatures of 1.5 °C, 3 °C, and 4.5 °C will shorten stratification by 0.7, 4.6, and 6.9 days, and lengthen overturning by 0.7, 4.2, and 8 days annually by 2096 in the Northern Hemisphere, affecting lake ecosystems through altered ventilation and nutrient cycling, according to sub-daily simulations of ice-covered lakes.

Lake ice has witnessed considerable changes in its phenology, but less is known about ice quality — the ratio of black ice to white ice. This Review assesses the changes in lake ice quality and its ecosystem services, noting diminished ice quality in observations and projections.

Climate change affects lakes worldwide and is predicted to continue to alter lake ice cover, surface temperature, evaporation rates, water levels and mixing regimes. This Review discusses recent and expected lake responses to climate change and looks towards future research opportunities in lake monitoring and modelling.