| Title | The present state of Lake Bracciano: hope and despair |
| Abstract | In 2017, the surface water resources of central Italy suffered from a combination of dry weather and increased human extraction. Specifically, the water level of the main surface drinking water reservoir supplying the City of Rome (Lake Bracciano) is currently low and the lacustrine ecosystem is in an unstable state. The aim of this study is to describe the current state of Lake Bracciano via a multidisciplinary approach in the light of the climate and hydrological variation over the past decade. The digital reconstruction of the lake cuvette made it possible to quantify the effects of oscillations in the level of the lake on the shoreline, while the potential impact of meteorological forcing on the lake-level oscillations was investigated by monitoring anomalies in precipitation and evaporation rates. The preliminary results indicate that the present Lake Bracciano crisis mainly results from below-average precipitation since 2015, compounded by significant water extraction. Indeed, in the past 3 years, there has been almost no winter recovery phase, resulting in a total water loss of 114 millions of m3, which has never been observed before. In November 2017, the lake level reached a historic low of - 198 cm with respect to the hydrological zero (corresponding to a 13.5% reduction in the area of the lake bed responsible for self-purification), considerably below the sustainable level of - 150 cm. We conclude that the persistent low precipitation (- 50% in 2017 with respect to the 1961-1990 baseline), intense evaporation (6.7 mm/day during summer 2017), and extraction have brought the ecological state and associated ecosystem services of Lake Bracciano to conditions of serious stress. |
| Source | Rendiconti lincei. Scienze fisiche e naturali |
| Keywords | Lake BraccianoLevel changesWater reserveVolcanic Lake |
| Journal | Rendiconti lincei. Scienze fisiche e naturali |
| Editor | Springer Verlag Italia, Milano, Italia |
| Year | 2018 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12210-018-0733-4 |
| Authors | Rossi D.; Romano E.; Guyennon N.; Rainaldi M.; Ghergo S.; Mecali A.; Parrone D.; Taviani S.; Scala A.; Perugini E. |
| Text | 390708 2018 10.1007/s12210 018 0733 4 Scopus 2 s2.0 85051736270 Lake Bracciano Level changes Water reserve Volcanic Lake The present state of Lake Bracciano hope and despair Rossi D.; Romano E.; Guyennon N.; Rainaldi M.; Ghergo S.; Mecali A.; Parrone D.; Taviani S.; Scala A.; Perugini E. CNR Water Research Institute, Research Area RM1, Monterotondo, , Italy; DISAT Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, , Italy; CNR Institute for Complex Systems, Rome, , Italy; Bracciano Smart Lake, Bracciano, , Italy In 2017, the surface water resources of central Italy suffered from a combination of dry weather and increased human extraction. Specifically, the water level of the main surface drinking water reservoir supplying the City of Rome Lake Bracciano is currently low and the lacustrine ecosystem is in an unstable state. The aim of this study is to describe the current state of Lake Bracciano via a multidisciplinary approach in the light of the climate and hydrological variation over the past decade. The digital reconstruction of the lake cuvette made it possible to quantify the effects of oscillations in the level of the lake on the shoreline, while the potential impact of meteorological forcing on the lake level oscillations was investigated by monitoring anomalies in precipitation and evaporation rates. The preliminary results indicate that the present Lake Bracciano crisis mainly results from below average precipitation since 2015, compounded by significant water extraction. Indeed, in the past 3 years, there has been almost no winter recovery phase, resulting in a total water loss of 114 millions of m3, which has never been observed before. In November 2017, the lake level reached a historic low of 198 cm with respect to the hydrological zero corresponding to a 13.5% reduction in the area of the lake bed responsible for self purification , considerably below the sustainable level of 150 cm. We conclude that the persistent low precipitation 50% in 2017 with respect to the 1961 1990 baseline , intense evaporation 6.7 mm/day during summer 2017 , and extraction have brought the ecological state and associated ecosystem services of Lake Bracciano to conditions of serious stress. Published version http //www.scopus.com/record/display.url eid=2 s2.0 85051736270 origin=inward Articolo in rivista Springer Verlag Italia 2037 4631 Rendiconti lincei. Scienze fisiche e naturali Rendiconti lincei. Scienze fisiche e naturali Rend. lincei, Sci. fis. nat. Rendiconti lincei. Scienze fisiche e naturali. Rendiconti lincei danieleparrone PARRONE DANIELE stefano.ghergo GHERGO STEFANO emanuele.romano ROMANO EMANUELE david rossi ROSSI DAVID nicolasdominique.guyennon GUYENNON NICOLAS DOMINIQUE |
