2026 is shaping up to be Isabel’s consecration year! First PhD paper now published!
Mountain lakes are usually qualified as “sentinels of climate change”. Ironically, however, for these so-called sentinels, the effects of climate warming on water temperature, the most direct and fundamental limnological variable, are poorly documented and may be less pronounced than what their exposure and sensitivity might initially suggest.
In “Decoupling Air and Water: How Throughflow Shapes Alpine Lake Temperatures.” , Isabel shows that cold meltwater flowing into mountain lakes during snowmelt can carry away much of the heat they receive, keeping them cooler than expected. In Lake Lioson that she used as a pilot site, up to 40% of incoming heat was lost this way, with snow conditions strongly affecting how and when the lake warms. Snowpack therefore plays a major role in controlling lake temperatures under climate change.
Herr, I. E., Bouffard, D., & Perga, M. E. (2026). Decoupling Air and Water: How Throughflow Shapes Alpine Lake Temperatures. Inland Waters, 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/20442041.2026.2634018