Climate change threatens Lake Baikal's unique ecosystem

CNN: Siberia's Lake Baikal, the world's largest and most biologically diverse lake, faces the prospect of severe ecological disruption as a result of climate change, according to team of U.S. and Russian scientists. Publishing their analysis in BioScience magazine the team found the most pressing threat came from the dependence of the lake's food chain on microscopic algae.

Lake Baikal's algae are particularly vulnerable to expected reductions in the length of time the lake is frozen each winter. The lake is considered a treasure trove for biologists and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because a high proportion of its rich fauna and flora are found nowhere else.

The report's authors say Lake Baikal's climate has become measurably milder over recent decades, and that annual precipitation is expected to increase. The average ice depth in the lake is believed to have decreased in recent decades, and the ice-free season to have increased. Changes in the lake's food-chain composition have been noted, the scientists say…..

On the shores of Lake Baikal in 2003, shot by Sansculotte, Wikimedia Commons, under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Germany License