Seasonality modulates wind-driven mixing pathways in a large lake
Seasonality modulates wind-driven mixing pathways in a large lake
Turbulent mixing controls the vertical transfer of heat, gases and nutrients in stratified water bodies, shaping their response to environmental forcing. Nevertheless, due to technical limitations, the redistribution of wind-derived energy fuelling turbulence within stratified lakes has only been mapped over short (sub-annual) timescales. Here we present a year-round observational record of energy fluxes in the large Lake Geneva. Contrary to the standing view, we show that the benthic layers are the main locus for turbulent mixing only during winter. Instead, most turbulent mixing occurs in the water-column interior during the stratified summer season, when the co-occurrence of thermal stability and lighter winds weakens near-sediment currents. Since stratified conditions are becoming more prevalent –possibly reducing turbulent fluxes in deep benthic environments–, these results contribute to the ongoing efforts to anticipate the effects of climate change on freshwater quality and ecosystem services in large lakes.
Fernández Castro, Bieito
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Bouffard, Damien
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Troy, Cary
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Ulloa, Hugo N.
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Piccolroaz, Sebastiano
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Steiner, Oscar Sepúlveda
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Chmiel, Hannah E.
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Moncadas, Lucas Serra
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Lavanchy, Sébastien
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Wüest, Alfred
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Fernández Castro, Bieito
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Bouffard, Damien
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Troy, Cary
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Ulloa, Hugo N.
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Piccolroaz, Sebastiano
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Steiner, Oscar Sepúlveda
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Chmiel, Hannah E.
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Moncadas, Lucas Serra
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Lavanchy, Sébastien
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Wüest, Alfred
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Fernández Castro, Bieito, Bouffard, Damien, Troy, Cary, Ulloa, Hugo N., Piccolroaz, Sebastiano, Steiner, Oscar Sepúlveda, Chmiel, Hannah E., Moncadas, Lucas Serra, Lavanchy, Sébastien and Wüest, Alfred
(2021)
Seasonality modulates wind-driven mixing pathways in a large lake.
Communications Earth & Environment, 2.
(doi:10.1038/s43247-021-00288-3).
Abstract
Turbulent mixing controls the vertical transfer of heat, gases and nutrients in stratified water bodies, shaping their response to environmental forcing. Nevertheless, due to technical limitations, the redistribution of wind-derived energy fuelling turbulence within stratified lakes has only been mapped over short (sub-annual) timescales. Here we present a year-round observational record of energy fluxes in the large Lake Geneva. Contrary to the standing view, we show that the benthic layers are the main locus for turbulent mixing only during winter. Instead, most turbulent mixing occurs in the water-column interior during the stratified summer season, when the co-occurrence of thermal stability and lighter winds weakens near-sediment currents. Since stratified conditions are becoming more prevalent –possibly reducing turbulent fluxes in deep benthic environments–, these results contribute to the ongoing efforts to anticipate the effects of climate change on freshwater quality and ecosystem services in large lakes.
Text
s43247-021-00288-3
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e-pub ahead of print date: 12 October 2021
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Local EPrints ID: 452096
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/452096
PURE UUID: bb9b8c11-ee76-4953-9335-392e3e2328c6
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Date deposited: 11 Nov 2021 17:37
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:04
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Contributors
Author:
Damien Bouffard
Author:
Cary Troy
Author:
Hugo N. Ulloa
Author:
Sebastiano Piccolroaz
Author:
Oscar Sepúlveda Steiner
Author:
Hannah E. Chmiel
Author:
Lucas Serra Moncadas
Author:
Sébastien Lavanchy
Author:
Alfred Wüest
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