Climate change, and natural climate variations in the past have been one of the main reasons that lakes are ephemeral features of the landscape. Most of today’s lakes are the result of climate amelioration and the retreat of the Pleistocene glaciers some 10 000 years ago, and so most present-day lakes are relatively young. A powerful approach toward understanding the potential impacts of future climate change on lakes is the need of today in Nepali lake preservation.

Projected Future Climate

Relative to the period from 1850-1900, global surface temperature is likely to rise by 1.5-2°C by the end of the 21st century (IPCC, 2013). More specifically for the next twenty years (2016-2035), a global temperature increase is predicted in the range of 0.3-0.7°C compared to 1986-2005.