Press release 2010/05
Issued by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
For immediate release
Windermere's secrets revealed by 65 years of lake monitoring
On Thursday 20 May 2010 scientists and conservationists from across the UK will meet at Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, to celebrate 65 years of research on one of the jewels of the English Lake District. Since 1945 over one million observations have been made of the water quality and ecology of Windermere resulting in more than 600 scientific publications. The lessons learnt from the Windermere research are now used to restore lakes across the world.
The Bowness meeting is hosted by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH). Speakers from CEH, Universities, the Freshwater Biological Association and the Environment Agency will cover topics including the history of the Windermere catchment, changes in water quality and ecology including the impact of invasive species, the bacterial health of the lake and future responses of Windermere to environmental change. Papers from the meeting will be published in a special issue of the scientific journal Freshwater Biology.
Dr Stephen Maberly from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, who leads the Windermere monitoring programme, said, “Windermere is probably the best studied lake in the world. The unique dataset collected over the last 65 years has been crucial in understanding a wide range of different issues, including the effect of nutrient enrichment on lake ecology, the impacts of invasive species, and the consequences of global climate change.”
The English Lakes are among the best studied of any in the world with unrivalled detailed weekly or fortnightly records from 1945 onwards available. The Windermere data-series was begun by the Freshwater Biological Association but has been collected by scientists at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology for the last two decades. Recent developments have included the installation of automatic water quality monitoring buoys.
The long-term records show that concentrations of phosphate have increased, that the amount of phytoplankton (the microscopic algae at the base of the food chain) has increased, and that the concentration of oxygen at the bottom of the lake in summer has become more depleted. Despite upgraded wastewater treatment works that remove some of the excess phosphorus, phytoplankton density has increased recently, possibly as a result of climate change and altered trophic-interactions.
Dr Maberly added, “Long-term monitoring is vital for understanding how lakes respond to environmental impacts and allow us to forecast how they may respond in future. The lessons learnt from Windermere have been vital in allowing the lakes’ managers to improve the area and deal with specific issues, such as the conservation of rare species.”
Notes to editors
Further information for journalists can be obtained from the CEH press office.
The Bowness-on-Windermere meeting takes place on Thursday 20 May 2010 at the Hydro Hotel. Over 70 delegates from Research Institutes, Universities and Government Departments and Agencies will attend.
The Lake Ecosystem Group at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is the largest group of research scientists working on lakes in the UK. Based at CEH's Lancaster research site, the group aims to generate a process-based understanding of how lakes function and to use this knowledge to provide robust advice for lake managers.
The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) is the UK's Centre of Excellence for integrated research in the land and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the atmosphere. CEH is part of the Natural Environment Research Council, employs more than 450 people at five major sites in England, Scotland and Wales, hosts over 150 PhD students, and has an overall budget of about £35m. CEH tackles complex environmental challenges to deliver practicable solutions so that future generations can benefit from a rich and healthy environment. www.ceh.ac.uk
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funds world-class science, in universities and its own research centres, that increases knowledge and understanding of the natural world. It is tackling major environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity and natural hazards. NERC receives around £400m a year from the UK government's science budget, which is used to provide independent research and training in the environmental sciences. www.nerc.ac.uk
