In this book, scientists from eleven countries summarize the results of
an EU project (CLIME) that explored the effects of observed and
projected changes in the climate on the dynamics of lakes in Northern,
Western and Central Europe. Historical measurements from eighteen sites
were used to compare the seasonal dynamics of the lakes and to assess
their sensitivity to local, regional and global-scale changes in the
weather. Simulations using a common set of water quality models,
perturbed by six climate-change scenarios, were then used to assess the
uncertainties associated with the projected changes in the climate. The
book includes chapters on the phenology and modelling of lake ice, the
supply and recycling of nitrogen and phosphorus, the flux of dissolved
organic carbon and the growth and the seasonal succession of
phytoplankton. There are also chapters on the coherent responses of
lakes to changes in the circulation of the atmosphere, the development
of a web-based Decision Support System and the implications of climate
change for the Water Framework Directive.