Nighttime warming dominates the thermal evolution of lakes across China
4 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Geography, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China
- 2College of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- 3GIS Technology Research Center of Resource and Environment in Western China, Ministry of Education, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China
- 4School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Bangor, Wales
Abstract
Diurnal asymmetric warming profoundly affects lake thermodynamics and aquatic ecosystems, yet its large-scale patterns and drivers remain poorly understood. Here we analyze diurnal surface temperature trends of 613 lakes across China from 2001 to 2025, disentangling climatic and anthropogenic contributions. Nighttime warming drives long-term lake warming nationally, with 84.01% of lakes showing a nighttime-dominant pattern. Nighttime lake surface water temperature (LSWT) rose at +0.34 °C decade−1, while daytime LSWT cooled at −0.24 °C decade−1. Daytime LSWT is primarily controlled by air temperature, whereas nighttime LSWT is dominated by downwelling longwave radiation, with human footprint exerting a persistent influence across the diurnal cycle. Lake area expansion correlates negatively with daytime warming and positively with nighttime warming nationwide, while anthropogenic activity further amplifies this asymmetry, most strongly in the Eastern Plain lakes. These findings highlight nighttime warming as the dominant force in Chinese lake thermal evolution, informing future conservation and management.
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BibTeX
@article{chen2026nighttime,
title = {{Nighttime warming dominates the thermal evolution of lakes across China}},
author = {Rixiang Chen and Senlin Zhu and Kun Yang and Xingfang Pei and Long Chen and Anlin Li and Dingpu Li and Guanjun Liu and Yi Luo and Jinming Hu and R. Iestyn Woolway},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-78114-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78114-7},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nighttime warming dominates the thermal evolution of lakes across China
AU - Rixiang Chen
AU - Senlin Zhu
AU - Kun Yang
AU - Xingfang Pei
AU - Long Chen
AU - Anlin Li
AU - Dingpu Li
AU - Guanjun Liu
AU - Yi Luo
AU - Jinming Hu
AU - R. Iestyn Woolway
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-78114-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78114-7
AB - Diurnal asymmetric warming profoundly affects lake thermodynamics and aquatic ecosystems, yet its large-scale patterns and drivers remain poorly understood. Here we analyze diurnal surface temperature trends of 613 lakes across China from 2001 to 2025, disentangling climatic and anthropogenic contributions. Nighttime warming drives long-term lake warming nationally, with 84.01% of lakes showing a nighttime-dominant pattern. Nighttime lake surface water temperature (LSWT) rose at +0.34 °C decade−1, while daytime LSWT cooled at −0.24 °C decade−1. Daytime LSWT is primarily controlled by air temperature, whereas nighttime LSWT is dominated by downwelling longwave radiation, with human footprint exerting a persistent influence across the diurnal cycle. Lake area expansion correlates negatively with daytime warming and positively with nighttime warming nationwide, while anthropogenic activity further amplifies this asymmetry, most strongly in the Eastern Plain lakes. These findings highlight nighttime warming as the dominant force in Chinese lake thermal evolution, informing future conservation and management.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -