Tracking reservoir warming in a changing climate: A 31-year study from Czechia.

ABSTRACT: Freshwater reservoirs are critical for water management but face increasing impacts from climate change, which alters their thermal regimes and affects ecosystem functions globally. In temperate regions, surface water temperatures have risen at rates often surpassing those of air temperature, driven by atmospheric warming, hydrological processes, and reservoir morphometry. However, long-term studies on reservoir-specific thermal responses, particularly short-term variability, remain scarce. An important question is how environmental drivers influence both long-term warming trends and daily thermal fluctuations in managed water bodies. Here we show that over 31 years (1991-2021), surface water temperatures in 35 Czech reservoirs increased by an average of 0.59 °C per decade, with air temper

SUBMITTER: Znachor P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12641219 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature