The volume and mean depth of Earth's lakes
2017 (Engelska)Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters, ISSN 0094-8276, E-ISSN 1944-8007, Vol. 44, nr 1, s. 209-218Artikel i tidskrift (Refereegranskat) Published
Abstract [en]
Global lake volume estimates are scarce, highly variable, and poorly documented. We developed a rigorous method for estimating global lake depth and volume based on the Hurst coefficient of Earth's surface, which provides a mechanistic connection between lake area and volume. Volume-area scaling based on the Hurst coefficient is accurate and consistent when applied to lake data sets spanning diverse regions. We applied these relationships to a global lake area census to estimate global lake volume and depth. The volume of Earth's lakes is 199,000km(3) (95% confidence interval 196,000-202,000km(3)). This volume is in the range of historical estimates (166,000-280,000km(3)), but the overall mean depth of 41.8m (95% CI 41.2-42.4m) is significantly lower than previous estimates (62-151m). These results highlight and constrain the relative scarcity of lake waters in the hydrosphere and have implications for the role of lakes in global biogeochemical cycles.
Ort, förlag, år, upplaga, sidor
2017. Vol. 44, nr 1, s. 209-218
Nyckelord [en]
limnology, topograhy, scaling, volume, mean depth
Nationell ämneskategori
Ekologi
Identifikatorer
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-132638DOI: 10.1002/2016GL071378ISI: 000393954900025Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85010670101OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-132638DiVA, id: diva2:1082982
2017-03-202017-03-202023-03-24Bibliografiskt granskad