(ORDO NEWS) — Lakes make up about 4% of the Earth‘s surface. These are closed depressions of land in which water accumulates. Freshwater bodies are an important part of the ecosystem and provide habitat for many species. More recently, research by scientists has confirmed the fact that oxygen very quickly began to disappear from freshwater lakes.
This is reported by Science Alert.
Scientists believe that the reason for the disappearance of oxygen is related to global warming. In their latest study, they analyzed the composition of water in more than 390 bodies of water. In each lake, the oxygen level was lower than in previous years. This means that the problem is global, not local.
Because of this, not only the biochemical composition of the water changes, representatives of fauna and flora in the lakes also suffer. People who use lake water are also at risk. It can also cause methane to be released into the atmosphere. The gas is actively produced by bacteria in the water.
According to the data obtained, oxygen leaves the lakes 2.75-9.3 times faster than, for example, from the oceans. Over the past 40 years, its amount has decreased by 5.5% in surface waters. And this is not surprising, because due to global warming, the surface of the water heats up faster, it is more difficult for gases to dissolve in a warm liquid. Due to the warm water on the surface, the deep layers of the liquid began to mix less. As a result, at depth, the oxygen level dropped by almost 20%. Because of this, many species of fish and other representatives of fauna and flora can die.
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