According to scientists, over the last 40 years, the number of small lakes has increased significantly. Considering that these lakes emit gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and several others that are related to the greenhouse effect, such an increase is indeed quite worrying.
Keep reading and find out how the increase in the number of small lakes can affect the climate.
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Between 1989 and 2019, the increase in the number of small lakes was so significant that they currently occupy around 46,000 km² of the Earth's surface. Thus, the annual increase in CO² emission caused by small lakes is 5 million tons, resulting in larger and faster changes.
According to a survey carried out to calculate the emission of carbon dioxide, small lakes are indeed very important for this calculation, since they emit a very high volume of carbon dioxide in relation to their sizes.
That said, despite occupying only 15% of the water bodies in the terrestrial surface, small lakes are responsible for 45% of CO² emissions and 59% of methane emissions into the atmosphere.
The reason for such “damage” is that, because they are smaller and shallower than other bodies of water, small lakes accumulate more organic matter, which when decomposed is converted into gases. Thus, due to the lack of depth, these gases that are present there rise faster to the atmosphere.
It is worth remembering that the increase in the number of small lakes was due to two reasons. The first is the construction of water reservoirs and human interference in the environment. The second issue concerns the melting of glaciers, which is a major consequence of global warming.
