Skip to main content
Log in

Increasingly ice-free winters and their effects on water quality in Sweden’s largest lakes

  • ELLS 2007
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mean global air temperatures have steadily increased during recent decades, resulting in an earlier timing of lake ice breakup. In Sweden’s largest lakes, Vänern and Vättern, the breakup of ice has occurred considerably earlier since 1979 and ice-free winters have become more frequent. Comparison between the years when the lakes were ice covered with those when they remained ice-free in terms of 37 lake variables revealed significant differences in water temperatures, sulphate concentrations and the biomass of diatoms in May after ice breakup (P < 0.01). In particular, the biomass of the genus Aulacoseira increased significantly, which may explain increasing complaints about algae that clog fishing-nets, filter-beds and micro-strainers in waterworks in Vänern and Vättern. We assume that Aulacoseira is mainly affected by changes in climate-driven water circulation patterns. In contrast, other observed water quality changes such as changes in sulphate concentration might rather be attributed to changes in atmospheric deposition. To explain water quality changes in Sweden’s largest lakes it is important to consider changes in both climate and atmospheric deposition as well as catchment measures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barica, J. & J. A. Mathias, 1979. Oxygen depletion and winterkill risk in small Prairie lakes under extended ice cover. Journal of Fisheries Research Board Canada 36: 980–986.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eklund, A., 1999. Ice-on and ice-off in Swedish lakes. SMHI-Report Hydrologi 81 (in Swedish).

  • Forsius, M., J. Vuorenmaa, J. Mannio & S. Syri, 2003. Recovery from acidification of Finnish lakes: regional patterns and relations to emission reduction policy. Science of the Total Environment 310: 121–132.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gerten, D. & R. Adrian, 2000. Climate-driven changes in spring plankton dynamics and the sensitivity of shallow polymictic lakes to the North Atlantic Oscillation. Limnology and Oceanography 45: 1058–1066.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerten, D. & R. Adrian, 2002. Effects of climate warming, North Atlantic Oscillation, and El Nino-Southern Oscillation on thermal conditions and plankton dynamics in northern hemispheric lakes. The Scientific World 2: 586–606.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenbank, J., 1945. Limnological conditions in ice-covered lakes, especially related to winterkill of fish. Ecological Monographs 15: 343–392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Järvinen, M., M. Rask, J. Ruuhijärvi & L. Arvola, 2002. Temporal coherence in water temperature and chemistry under the ice of boreal lakes (Finland). Water Research 36: 3949–3956.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, R. K. & T. Wiederholm, 1992. Pelagic-benthic coupling – the importance of diatom interannual variability for population oscillations of Monoporeia affinis. Limnology and Oceanography 37: 1596–1607.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kvarnäs, H., 2001. Morphometry and hydrology of the four large lakes of Sweden. Ambio 30: 467–474.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leppäranta, M., A. Reinart, A. Erm, H. Arst, M. Hussainov & L. Sipelgas, 2003. Investigation of ice and water properties and under-ice light fields in fresh and brackish water bodies. Nordic Hydrology 34: 245–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Livingstone, D. M., 1993. Lake oxygenation: Application of a one-box model with ice cover. International Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie 78: 465–480.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Livingstone, D. M., 1997. Break-up dates of alpine lakes as proxy data for local and regional mean surface air temperatures. Climatic Change 37: 407–439.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lotter, A. F. & C. Bigler, 2000. Do diatoms in the Swiss Alps reflect the length of ice-cover? Aquatic Sciences 62: 125–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magnuson, J. J., D. M. Robertson, B. J. Benson, R. H. Wynne, D. M. Livingstone, T. Arai, R. A. Assel, R. G. Barry, V. Card, E. Kuusisto, N. G. Granin, T. D. Prowse, K. M. Stewart & V. S. Vuglinski, 2000. Historical trends in lake and river ice cover in the Northern Hemisphere. Science 289: 1743–1746.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moldan, F., R. F. Wright, S. Löfgren, M. Forsius, T. Ruoho-Airola & B. L. Skjelkvale, 2001. Long-term changes in acidification and recovery at nine calibrated catchments in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 5: 339–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palecki, M. A. & R. G. Barry, 1986. Freeze-up and break-up of lakes as an index of temperature changes during the transition seasons: A case study for Finland. Journal of Climate and Applied Meteorology 25: 893–902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, K. A. & M. W. Fawley, 2002. Winter phytoplankton community structure in three shallow temperate lakes during ice cover. Hydrobiologia 470: 97–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, W. R., 1989. Analyzing tables of statistical tests. Evolution 43: 223–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodhe, W., 1955. Can phytoplankton production proceed during winter darkness in subarctic lakes? Verhandlungen der Internationalen Vereinigung für Limnologie 12: 117–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rummukainen, M., J. Räisänen, B. Bringfelt, A. Ullerstig, A. Omstedt, U. Willén, U. Hansson & C. Jones, 2001. A regional climate model for northeastern Europe: model description and results from the downscaling of two GCM control simulations. Climate Dynamics 17: 339–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute, 2002. JMP Statistics and graphics guide. Version 5, SAS Institute.

  • Stewart, K. M., 1976. Oxygen deficits, clarity and eutrophication in some Madison lakes. Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie 61: 563–579.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vavrus, S. J., R. H. Wynne & J. A. Foley, 1996. Measuring the sensitivity of southern Wisconsin lake ice to climate variations and lake depth using a numerical model. Limnology & Oceanography 41: 822–831.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyhenmeyer, G. A., 2001. Warmer winters – are planktonic algal populations in Sweden’s largest lakes affected? Ambio 30: 565–571.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weyhenmeyer, G. A., 2004. Synchrony in relationships between the North Atlantic Oscillation and water chemistry among Sweden’s largest lakes. Limnology & Oceanography 49: 1191–1201.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weyhenmeyer, G. A., T. Blenckner & K. Pettersson, 1999. Changes of the plankton spring outburst related to the North Atlantic Oscillation. Limnology & Oceanography 44: 1788–1792.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyhenmeyer, G. A., M. Meili & D. M. Livingstone, 2004. Nonlinear temperature response of lake ice breakup. Geophysical Research Letters 31: L07203, doi: 10.1029/2004GL019530.

  • Weyhenmeyer, G. A., M. Meili & D. M. Livingstone, 2005. Systematic differences in the trend towards earlier ice-out on Swedish lakes along a latitudinal temperature gradient. Verhandlungen der Internationalen Vereinigung der Limnologie 29: 257–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilander, A. & G. Persson, 2001. Recovery from eutrophication: Experiences of reduced phosphorus input to the four largest lakes of Sweden. Ambio 30: 475–485.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Willén, E., 1991. Planktonic diatoms – an ecological review. Algological Studies 62: 69–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willén, E., 2001. Four decades of research on the Swedish large lakes Mälaren, Hjälmaren, Vättern and Vänern: The significance of monitoring and remedial measures for a sustainable society. Ambio 30: 458–466.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was partly funded by the European Union within the framework of the European Commission projects CLIME (“Climate and Lake Impacts in Europe”, EVK1-CT-2002-00121) and Euro-limpacs (“Integrated Project to Evaluate the Impacts of Global Change on European Freshwater Ecosystems”, GOCE-CT-2003-505540). The first author is a research fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences supported by a grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Additional funding was received from the Swedish Research Council (621-2005-4335). We thank the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the IMA laboratory for financing, sampling and analysing numerous water samples.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer.

Additional information

Guest editors: T. Nõges, R. Eckmann, K. Kangur, P. Nõges, A. Reinart, G. Roll, H. Simola and M. Viljanen

European Large Lakes—Ecosystem changes and their ecological and socioeconomic impacts

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Weyhenmeyer, G.A., Westöö, AK. & Willén, E. Increasingly ice-free winters and their effects on water quality in Sweden’s largest lakes. Hydrobiologia 599, 111–118 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9188-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9188-9

Keywords

Navigation