What is threatening the unique ecosystem of Lake Baikal?
Siberia’s Lake Baikal is facing the prospect of severe ecological disruption of its unique ecosystem as a result of climate change according to U.S. and Russian scientists. It is the world’s largest and most biologically diverse lake. The scientists found that the most urgent threat arises from the dependence of the lake’s food chain on microscopic algae. The algae are very vulnerable to reductions in the length of time the lake is frozen each winter. While a warmer, wetter climate is the principal threat, the secondary effects of climate change including greater nutrient inputs and industrial pollution will also cause problems for the lake’s stressed ecosystem. Sources: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/05/01/eco.
Siberia’s Lake Baikal, the world’s largest and most biologically diverse lake, faces the prospect of severe ecological disruption as a result of climate change, according to team of U.S. and Russian scientists. The Baikal seal is the world’s only freshwater seal. Lake Baikal’s algae are particularly vulnerable to expected reductions in the length of time the lake is frozen each winter. The lake is considered a treasure trove for biologists and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because a high proportion of its rich fauna and flora are found nowhere else. The report’s authors say Lake Baikal’s climate has become measurably milder over recent decades, and that annual precipitation is expected to increase. The average ice depth in the lake is believed to have decreased in recent decades, and the ice-free season to have increased. Changes in the lake’s food-chain composition have been noted, the scientists say. Shorter periods of ice cover is expected to slow the growth of the
