Why is Lake Balaton Shrinking? The Secrets of the Water Balance 🌊

The water level of Lake Balaton approached the historic low of 2003 in early October, which is a serious warning for the lake and the surrounding settlements. Although the winter water surplus in the lake's catchment area has increased somewhat in recent decades, it is no longer able to offset the dramatic growth in summer water deficit 🌊.

The development of the water balance was analyzed by Péter Szabó, a PhD student at the ELTE Department of Meteorology, in the catchment area. The water balance of Lake Balaton is determined by four main factors: precipitation and inflow on the input side, while evaporation and outflow on the output side. Using the Thornthwaite model, it is possible to track month by month when water surplus or deficit develops in the Lake Balaton catchment area.

Out of the 26 years examined since 2000, the annual balance was negative in 16. Several consecutive dry years have occurred before, for example between 2000–2003 or 2021–2022, but due to global warming the situation is different now: the summer evaporation demand has increased significantly, while the winter surplus can no longer compensate for this loss.

For the lakeside communities, this means that the lake's water level is becoming increasingly sensitive to climate change. The intensified evaporation in the summer months causes the water level to drop faster, which in the long term may affect the lake's ecosystem and local tourism as well.

Source: telex.hu