Earth's lakes are heating up. Fast. Here's why that matters [View all]

[IDemo]

The world’s lakes are warming faster than the atmosphere or the ocean, and this is a problem, say scientists.

In the first study of its kind, funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation and published Wednesday in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, dozens of researchers from around the world studied 235 lakes spanning six continents, more than half of the world’s freshwater supply. Using 25 years worth of satellite and ground temperature data, the scientists concluded that the Earth’s lakes are warming an average of 0.61 degrees Fahrenheit each decade.

“These results suggest that large changes in our lakes are not only unavoidable, but are probably already happening,” lead author Catherine O’Reilly, associate professor of geology at Illinois State University, explained in a press release.

And while 0.61 degrees Fahrenheit per decade might not sound like much, it’s a higher rate of warming than either the atmosphere or ocean are experiencing. And its enough to do some serious damage, the researchers say.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/1217/Earth-s-lakes-are-heating-up.-Fast.-Here-s-why-that-matters