How does rainfall affect lakes?

Rain may have an effect on the lake surface in four ways: (i) evaporative cooling of the near-surface air during precipitation, which induces an additional upward sensible heat flux from the lake towards the atmosphere; (ii) direct rain heat flux into the lake; (iii) mixing of the lake surface layer through the flux of ...



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More than half of the world's large lakes and reservoirs have shrunk since the early 1990s, chiefly because of climate change, intensifying concerns about water for agriculture, hydropower and human consumption, a new study has found.

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Rain may have a cooling effect on the lake surface by lowering the near-surface air temperature, by the direct rain heat flux into the lake, by mixing the lake surface layer through the flux of kinetic energy and by convective mixing of the lake surface layer.

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Often, during hot summer months, the amount of dissolved oxygen in a lake becomes low, making fish inactive. Rain will aerate the surface water and often has a cooling effect, both of which can activate fish.

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We call it the 48-hour rule, and it goes like this: In order to protect your health against recreational water illnesses, avoid contact with the water for at least 48-hours after a significant rain event. Think that sounds harsh? Some places suggest waiting up to 72 hours.

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During rainy seasons, oxygen concentrations tend to rise in most surface waters because rain saturates with oxygen as it falls. More sunlight and warmer temperatures also increase plant growth and animal activity, which may increase or decrease DO concentrations and increase diurnal fluctuation.

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During the early morning hours, the land and the water start out at roughly the same temperature. On a calm morning, a given pressure surface will be at the same height above both the land and water. A few hours later, the sun's energy begins to warm the land more rapidly than the water.

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