Effects of Large Lakes

Large lakesand lakes and other inland bodies of water can impact regional-scale atmospheric circulation and properties substantially. The change in net radiation (Q*) from a deficitDeficit in winter to a surplusSurplus in summer sets the stage for the intra-annual cycles associated with the storage and release of heat within the lake, with the cycle of air temperature near the lake lagging behind the typical warmest and coldest timesTime of year. Likewise, seasonal tendencies for atmospheric stabilityand stability and instability, and the stableStratification stratificationPollutionand blocking highsand stable stratification within the lake, near largeStable stratificationand pollution mid- and high-latitude lakesFogand Falkland Currentand lakes causes lags in seasonal preferences for cyclogenesisCyclogenesis and anticyclone activity and have implications for lake pollution dispersion. Moisture added to the air by large, unfrozen lakes initiates fog and/orSnow, lake effect lake effect snowfall when air temperatures differ substantially from the underlying lake temperatures. The lake versus land breezeTemperatureand land breeze occurs diurnally when air switches direction from offshore to onshore as a result of diurnal temperatureTemperatureand lake breeze oscillations between the lake and the adjacent land surfaces. Horizontal convergenceHorizontal convergence caused by increased friction when air blows onshore promotes cloud cover and precipitation near lake shores. When persistent winds along the major axis of a lake end suddenly, waves known as seichesSeiche can be initiated.