Abstract

The water quality of large, deep lakes is governed by hydrodynamics-wind, buoyancy, and Coriolis forces-driving motions from turbulent mixing to basin-scale seiches. Climate warming intensifies surface stratification but triggers complex interactions between warm surface layers and dense deep waters. Lake Geneva, though stably stratified, exhibits decades-long deep-layer warming, implicating mixing, seiches, and vertical exchange. As a historic natural laboratory, its hydrodynamic studies-rooted in Forel’s pioneering work-reveal climate-driven shifts in stratification and mesoscale processes.

Temperature-driven hydrodynamic feedbacks challenge freshwater resilience, reshaping water quality through dynamic coupling at stratification interfaces. This interplay highlights the role of basin-scale motions and vertical fluxes in mediating climate impacts on deep-lake ecosystems.