Effect of current climate change on ecosystems of mountain lakes

Current global climate change is affecting mountain regions and mountain lake ecosystems at many levels. With the warming of most mountain areas, lake water is also warming, and the freezing period of the lakes is shortening. Summer temperature stratification is newly appearing in lakes or the number of days when this phenomenon occurs is increasing. As a result of climate change, there are changes in atmospheric deposition, more intense weathering of rocks in the watersheds and an increase in the concentration of dissolved organic carbon, which results in a change in the ionic composition of the water, a higher supply of nutrients to these oligotrophic lakes and browning of the water. Melting glaciers in mountain areas give rise to new mountain lakes at higher and higher altitudes, and existing lakes are also getting bigger. Melting glacial water can also affect the physical and chemical properties of lake water, for example the temperature, transparency, conductivity and concentration of certain elements (especially nitrogen), but also the content of toxic substances and microplastics, which subsequently affects the lake biota. Species composition changes in lakes, species of organisms preferring warmer water with more nutrients appear, food webs change and the growing season lengthens....