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Assessing Climate-Driven Variation in Lake Surface Area: A Remote Sensing Analysis of Lakes in Southern Sweden

Messow, Carl Viggo Werner LU (2025) In Student thesis series INES NGEK01 20251
Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
Abstract
Climate variability poses an increasing threat to freshwater ecosystems. Particularly in temperate regions where the everchanging precipitation and temperature patterns can alter lake hydrology. The study investigates long-term variation in lake surface area in response to climate drivers across four lakes in southern Sweden, from 2000 to 2024. This was done using satellitebased remote sensing and meteorological data, analysing annual lake surface area changes and
studying the relationship with seasonal temperature, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PET), and climate water balance (CWB). Lake surface area was extracted using the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) from Landsat imagery, while climate data were sourced from... (More)
Climate variability poses an increasing threat to freshwater ecosystems. Particularly in temperate regions where the everchanging precipitation and temperature patterns can alter lake hydrology. The study investigates long-term variation in lake surface area in response to climate drivers across four lakes in southern Sweden, from 2000 to 2024. This was done using satellitebased remote sensing and meteorological data, analysing annual lake surface area changes and
studying the relationship with seasonal temperature, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PET), and climate water balance (CWB). Lake surface area was extracted using the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) from Landsat imagery, while climate data were sourced from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). Results show that all four lakes, Bolmen, Ringsjön, Vombsjön and Ivösjön exhibited a declining trend in surface area over the 25-year period, alongside increasing summer temperatures and decreasing precipitation. The CWB trends reveal growing summer moisture deficits, particularly in Ivösjön and Ringsjön, justifying the role of climate drivers and its influence on lakes. While all lakes showed long-term declines in surface area, the magnitude and significance of these changes varied. Ivösjön and Ringsjön, despite differences in size and regulation, exhibited the strongest climate-linked reductions, indicating that both physical and climatic factors jointly influence hydrological sensitivity. The findings highlight the significant influence of climate change on freshwater systems in southern Sweden and emphasize the value of remote sensing in long-term
hydrological monitoring. These results will have important implications for regional water resource management, especially under future climate scenarios. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Messow, Carl Viggo Werner LU
supervisor
organization
course
NGEK01 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
NDWI, Lake Surface Area, Landsat, Remote Sensing, Climate Indicators, Lakes, Sweden
publication/series
Student thesis series INES
report number
699
language
English
id
9210557
date added to LUP
2025-08-25 09:20:27
date last changed
2025-08-25 09:20:27
@misc{9210557,
  abstract     = {{Climate variability poses an increasing threat to freshwater ecosystems. Particularly in temperate regions where the everchanging precipitation and temperature patterns can alter lake hydrology. The study investigates long-term variation in lake surface area in response to climate drivers across four lakes in southern Sweden, from 2000 to 2024. This was done using satellitebased remote sensing and meteorological data, analysing annual lake surface area changes and
studying the relationship with seasonal temperature, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PET), and climate water balance (CWB). Lake surface area was extracted using the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) from Landsat imagery, while climate data were sourced from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). Results show that all four lakes, Bolmen, Ringsjön, Vombsjön and Ivösjön exhibited a declining trend in surface area over the 25-year period, alongside increasing summer temperatures and decreasing precipitation. The CWB trends reveal growing summer moisture deficits, particularly in Ivösjön and Ringsjön, justifying the role of climate drivers and its influence on lakes. While all lakes showed long-term declines in surface area, the magnitude and significance of these changes varied. Ivösjön and Ringsjön, despite differences in size and regulation, exhibited the strongest climate-linked reductions, indicating that both physical and climatic factors jointly influence hydrological sensitivity. The findings highlight the significant influence of climate change on freshwater systems in southern Sweden and emphasize the value of remote sensing in long-term
hydrological monitoring. These results will have important implications for regional water resource management, especially under future climate scenarios.}},
  author       = {{Messow, Carl Viggo Werner}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Student thesis series INES}},
  title        = {{Assessing Climate-Driven Variation in Lake Surface Area: A Remote Sensing Analysis of Lakes in Southern Sweden}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}