Abstract
Although the effects of climate warming on the chemical and physical properties of lakes have been documented1, biotic and ecosystem-scale responses to climate change have been only estimated or predicted by manipulations and models1. Here we present evidence that climate warming is diminishing productivity in Lake Tanganyika, East Africa. This lake has historically supported a highly productive pelagic fishery that currently provides 25–40% of the animal protein supply for the populations of the surrounding countries2. In parallel with regional warming patterns since the beginning of the twentieth century, a rise in surface-water temperature has increased the stability of the water column. A regional decrease in wind velocity has contributed to reduced mixing, decreasing deep-water nutrient upwelling and entrainment into surface waters. Carbon isotope records in sediment cores suggest that primary productivity may have decreased by about 20%, implying a roughly 30% decrease in fish yields. Our study provides evidence that the impact of regional effects of global climate change on aquatic ecosystem functions and services can be larger than that of local anthropogenic activity or overfishing.
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Acknowledgements
We thank M. O'Reilly for assistance with stability calculations, and M. Brenner, P. Brooks, and J. McManus for comments on the manuscript. The Tanzanian Commission for Science and the Tanzanian Immigration Agency provided research permits, and the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute and the crew of the R/V Explorer provided field assistance. This work was funded by the National Science Foundation, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/FINNIDA Research for the Management of the Fisheries of Lake Tanganyika Project, United Nations/Global Environment Facility Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Project, University of Arizona Graduate College, Sigma Xi, Geological Society of America, and Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs of the Prime Minister of Belgium.
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Supplementary information
41586_2003_BFnature01833_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
Supplementary Figure 1: 210Pb dating of cores LT-98-37M, LT-98-58M, LT-98-82M and Table 2 Carbon-14 dating of core LT-97-56V. (PDF 120 kb)
41586_2003_BFnature01833_MOESM4_ESM.pdf
Supplementary Figure 4: Consideration of the Suess effect does not eliminate the trend towards more negative carbon isotope ratios. (PDF 98 kb)
41586_2003_BFnature01833_MOESM5_ESM.pdf
Supplementary Figure 5: C:N ratios in the cores do not indicate changes in the input of terrestrial organic matter in the mid-1900s. (PDF 48 kb)
41586_2003_BFnature01833_MOESM6_ESM.pdf
Supplementary Figure 6: Nitrogen stable isotopes in the cores do not indicate changes in phytoplankton community composition toward increased N-fixation. (PDF 93 kb)
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O'Reilly, C., Alin, S., Plisnier, PD. et al. Climate change decreases aquatic ecosystem productivity of Lake Tanganyika, Africa. Nature 424, 766–768 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01833
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01833
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