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A paradox of warming in a deep peri-Alpine lake (Lake Lugano, Switzerland and Italy)

  • LARGE AND DEEP PERIALPINE LAKES
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Abstract

We investigated the effects of seasonal air temperature on the north basin of Lake Lugano (Switzerland and Italy), a deep peri-Alpine lake that is recovering from eutrophication. A priori ideas concerning the effects of temperature on key ecosystem responses were formalized in a conceptual model, which was tested against observed responses (from 28 years of monitoring data) using structural equation modeling. The results broadly supported our model, and indicated that air temperature had pervasive effects on the lake’s ecosystem. Warmer-than-usual winters restricted the depth of vertical mixing during turnovers and, as a result, reduced the associated replenishment of phosphorus (P) to surface waters. Moreover, although the reduction of P increased the potential for nutrient limitation, warmer winters and summers led to increases in summer chlorophyll a content (an index of phytoplankton biomass) through complex direct and indirect (food-web) effects. This apparently paradoxical effect on chlorophyll mimics a symptom of eutrophication, and suggests that climate warming might impede the recovery of the lake from eutrophication or increase the management interventions that will be required to meet the restoration targets.

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Acknowledgments

Fabio Lepori worked on this paper during a visit at the Colorado Water Science Center and Fort Collins Science Center in Fort Collins (U. S. Geological Survey, USGS) during October–November 2016, which was possible thanks to a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation and a sabbatical leave from University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland. All three institutions are gratefully acknowledged for their support. Sibel Satiroglu and Jill Baron provided welcome comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Data are proprietary to Swiss organizations, contact Fabio Lepori for more information.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Applied, Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Campus Trevano, 6952, Canobbio, Switzerland

    Fabio Lepori

  2. Colorado Water Science Center, U. S. Geological Survey (USGS), Fort Collins, CO, 80526-8118, USA

    James J. Roberts & Travis S. Schmidt

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  1. Fabio Lepori
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Correspondence to Fabio Lepori.

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Guest editors: Nico Salmaso, Orlane Anneville, Dietmar Straile & Pierluigi Viaroli / Large and deep perialpine lakes: ecological functions and resource management

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Lepori, F., Roberts, J.J. & Schmidt, T.S. A paradox of warming in a deep peri-Alpine lake (Lake Lugano, Switzerland and Italy). Hydrobiologia 824, 215–228 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3649-1

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