Changes in the Heat Content of Water Column in the Slope Area of the Southern Basin of Lake Baikal in the 21st Century

Abstract

Climate change influences the temperature, ice and thermal regimes of lakes in the Northern Hemisphere. This study discusses the change in the heat content of the water column in the slope area of the southern basin of Lake Baikal under the influence of climate for the past 20 years. We clarify the seasonal variability of heat content in different water layers selected taking into account temperature and dynamic characteristics. During the study period, the value of heat content increased in the upper water layer (45–100 m) only in May (12.4 (MJ/m2)/year). In the water layers deeper than 100 m, the value of heat content decreased: −3–−4 (MJ/m2)/year from July to September in a layer of 100–300 m, −9–−13 (MJ/m2)/year in all months in a layer of 300–1100 m and −1.5–−3 (MJ/m2)/year in all months, except for January in a layer of 1100 m–bottom. Despite the revealed trends of the change in the heat content, the annual heat circulation remained within the normal range and did not have any trends.