The influence of atmospheric wave dynamics on interannual variation in the surface temperature of lakes in the English Lake District

Surface water temperatures in four lakes of the English Lake District are significantly influenced by tropospheric Rossby wave breaking (RWB), a large-scale atmospheric phenomenon that introduces warm, moist or cool, dry air from distant sources. RWB accounts for 37–52% of interannual temperature variance after accounting for climate change effects, making it a more fundamental driver than the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in controlling lake properties such as ice duration and metabolic rates. The study used statistical models incorporating RWB variability patterns and Northern Hemisphere surface temperature indices to explain 54–69% of seasonal temperature variance. RWB's broader impacts on precipitation, terrestrial, and marine environments are also noted.

STRONG, C., & MABERLY, S. C. (2011). The influence of atmospheric wave dynamics on interannual variation in the surface temperature of lakes in the English Lake District. Global Change Biology, 17(6), 2013–2022. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02391.x