This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Lake Zurich's water level sank to its lowest level in 75 years on Wednesday, official measurements showed, as a drawn-out drought also took a toll on a range of other major Swiss lakes. Switzerland has been experiencing "a marked drought" since spring as it has been hit by repeated heat waves and below-average rainfall, according to the country's Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
"The situation has resulted in dry soils and low levels of surface and groundwater," the office said on its website, noting that the drought had "worsened in recent weeks." As a result, many lakes have below-average seasonal levels, it said, pointing, for instance, to Lake Constance, which straddles the Swiss, German and Austrian borders, and Lake Maggiore on the southern side of the Alps, divided between Switzerland and Italy. Meanwhile, an agency spokesman told that only Lake Zurich—the sixth-largest in the country—had so far seen water levels hit a record low. The water level in the lake, which extends southeast of Switzerland's largest city, was no higher than 404.45 meters (1,327 feet) above sea level on Wednesday, falling below the previous record of 405.46 meters (1,330 feet), measured there in 1952, a year after measurements began at the station.
The annual mean is 405.93 meters (1,332 feet), according to FOEN. The Zurich Lake Ferry company, which operates the crossing between Horgen on the west shore and Meilen on the east shore, informed customers this week of restrictions on vehicle loading due to the "extraordinarily low" water level, barring crossings by heavy trucks and several other vehicle types. Last week, the Italian-Swiss consultative body responsible for regulating the water level in Lake Maggiore decided after an emergency meeting to allow a greater outflow from Lake Lugano into the larger body of water.
That decision followed an emergency meeting held after the Italian environment ministry sounded the alarm over the critical water level in Lake Maggiore, amid concerns over the impacts on rice-growing areas downstream in the Italian regions of Novara, Lomellina and Milan. Lake Geneva, Switzerland's largest lake, has meanwhile seen water levels remain close to its annual average, at 372 meters (1,220 feet) above sea level, as it benefited from an influx from rivers boosted by glacier melt, FOEN told AFP. Master's in physics with research experience.
Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
