Advance in the studies of responses of alpine lakes to climate change

Abstract: As the main carrier of alpine freshwater ecosystems, alpine lakes are currently experiencing rapid climate change that has profound and complex effects on their ecosystems. In this study, we systematically analyze the effects of altitude-dependent warming on the thermal properties, dissolved oxygen stratification, and biological processes of alpine lakes in the context of climate change, describe the adaptation measures of alpine aquatic organisms and changes in underwater radiation characteristics in the context of radiation enhancement, and reveal the effects of precipitation changes on the cross-ecosystem material subsidies and biogeochemical cycles in alpine lakes, as well as the mechanism of the impact of precipitation changes on these cross-ecosystem material subsidies and biogeochemical cycles in mountain lakes. In the future research, we must improve the integrated response experiments of lake habitats under the changes of multiple climate factors, strengthen the systematic monitoring and integration of the whole elements of alpine lake ecosystems, and change the research type (i.e., static and qualitative research to process, dynamic, and quantitative research) to enhance knowledge on the response mechanism of alpine lake ecosystems to global climate change.