TY - JOUR

T1 - Global trends and regime state shifts of lacustrine aquatic vegetation

AU - Luo, Juhua

AU - Duan, Hongtao

AU - Xu, Ying

AU - Shen, Ming

AU - Zhang, Yunlin

AU - Xiao, Qitao

AU - Ni, Guigao

AU - Wang, Kang

AU - Xin, Yihao

AU - Qi, Tianci

AU - Feng, Lian

AU - Qiu, Yinguo

AU - Jeppesen, Erik

AU - Woolway, R. Iestyn

PY - 2025/1/18

Y1 - 2025/1/18

N2 - Aquatic vegetation (AV) is vital for maintaining the health of lake ecosystems, with submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and floating/emergent aquatic vegetation (FEAV) representing clear and shaded states, respectively. However, global SAV and FEAV dynamics are poorly understood due to data scarcity. To address this gap, we developed an innovative AV mapping algorithm and workflow using satellite imagery (1.4 million Landsat images) from 1989 to 2021 and created a global database of AV across 5,587 shallow lakes. Our findings suggest that AV covers 108,186 km2 on average globally, accounting for 28.9% (FEAV, 15.8%; SAV, 13.1%) of the total lake area. Over two decades, we observed a notable transition: SAV decreased by 30.4%, while FEAV increased by 15.6%, leading to a substantial net loss of AV. This global trend indicates a shift from clear to shaded conditions, increasingly progressing toward turbid states dominated by phytoplankton. We found that human-induced eutrophication was the primary driver of change until the early 2010s, after which global warming and rising lake temperatures became the dominant drivers. These trends serve as a warning sign of deteriorating lake health worldwide. With future climate warming and intensified eutrophication, these ongoing trends pose a significant risk of disrupting lake ecosystems.

AB - Aquatic vegetation (AV) is vital for maintaining the health of lake ecosystems, with submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and floating/emergent aquatic vegetation (FEAV) representing clear and shaded states, respectively. However, global SAV and FEAV dynamics are poorly understood due to data scarcity. To address this gap, we developed an innovative AV mapping algorithm and workflow using satellite imagery (1.4 million Landsat images) from 1989 to 2021 and created a global database of AV across 5,587 shallow lakes. Our findings suggest that AV covers 108,186 km2 on average globally, accounting for 28.9% (FEAV, 15.8%; SAV, 13.1%) of the total lake area. Over two decades, we observed a notable transition: SAV decreased by 30.4%, while FEAV increased by 15.6%, leading to a substantial net loss of AV. This global trend indicates a shift from clear to shaded conditions, increasingly progressing toward turbid states dominated by phytoplankton. We found that human-induced eutrophication was the primary driver of change until the early 2010s, after which global warming and rising lake temperatures became the dominant drivers. These trends serve as a warning sign of deteriorating lake health worldwide. With future climate warming and intensified eutrophication, these ongoing trends pose a significant risk of disrupting lake ecosystems.

KW - aquatic vegetation

KW - remote sensing

KW - regime shifts

KW - limnology

KW - climate change

U2 - 10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100784

DO - 10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100784

M3 - Article

JO - The Innovation

JF - The Innovation

SN - 2666-6758

ER -