North-Patagonian Andean Deep Lakes: Impact of Glacial Recession and Volcanic Eruption

BALSEIRO, ESTEBAN; MODENUTTI, BEATRIZ; BASTIDAS NAVARRO, MARCELA; MARTYNIUK, NICOLÁS; SCHENONE, LUCA; LASPOUMADERES, CECILIA

FRESHWATERS AND WETLANDS OF PATAGONIA

Springer

Año: 2022;

This chapter will dealwith the characteristics of the Patagonian Andean lakes and the effect ofclimate change on them. In the first part, we will explore how climate change willaffect the region, and what to expect in the future. Based on obtained results, we will show howclimate change is already affecting deep lakes as well as shallow lakes in thearea. How these changes are affecting and will affect in the future thefunctioning of biological communities, from bacteria to plankton. Glacier recession is one of the most visibleconsequences of the climate change, and we will explore how this recession isaffecting lakes, changing water transparency, light and nutrient availability,and species interactions. Changes in the transparency of lakes haveconsequences in the vertical distribution of organisms and in the ecologicalstoichiometry of the systems. Finally, how changes in the thermal structureof lakes may affect biological communities.