About This Project

Austria’s Lake Altaussee is a remote Alpine lake. A long duration heat budget study here will evaluate physical effects on ecologically critical lake processes susceptible to climate change already observed in this area. We will quantify and characterize stratifying and de-stratifying mechanisms, surface and benthic heat flux, and internal physical lake processes associated with mixing. Results from this unique study will inform climate change predictions in vulnerable alpine regions.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Heat budget studies are an effective way to quantify key hydrological processes. They require detailed knowledge about the entire lake system, however, and are thus often prohibitive without significant research investment.

Lake Altaussee is an advantageous study area. The lake is pristine, with little human impact, and is situated in an alpine region sensitive to (and indicative of) future climate effects.

This study takes advantage of a recent effort to fully characterize the lake and surrounding environment. Detailed heat flux observations would not be possible without the full and accurate bathymetry and hydrography measurements taken recently by our collaborators. Thus this study advantages an opportunity unique to this lake at this time.

What is the significance of this project?

This long-term study will identify Alpine lake processes and outcomes sensitive to climate change. It is supported by the Austrian Federal Agency for Water Management, and designed to supplement the monitoring programs initiated to support The Austrian Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change.

Alpine lakes face increasing threats from urbanization and climate change, and are often selected as a sensitive study area. Quantifying hydrodynamic mechanisms associated with surface heat flux and seasonal stratification in a pristine Alpine lake forms a baseline for future comparison - both at this lake and at lakes around the world.

What are the goals of the project?

Our project will accomplish three goals. First, we will provide baseline temperature and oxygen observations related to climate change processes at Lake Altaussee.

Second, this baseline study will inform future long-term studies to observe effects on seasonal to climate time scales. Instruments purchased with this funding will be re-deployed at Lake Altaussee and continue to return valuable data beyond the lifetime of this project.

Third, data will be made publicly available in a variety of formats. Raw data will be available as a QC and data processing training set, and processed data will be available for researchers and the public.