Status of Climate Change Effect Simulations for Mirror Lake, New Hampshire

To predict the effects of future global warming on water resources, we need to know how climate effects lakes. This knowledge can be gained (1) by comparative studies of similarly-sized lakes located in different climatic regions and (2) by use of simulation models that predict lake characteristics given various climatic conditions. Model results can be validated by comparisons with measurements in different climatic regions or through comparison with the paleorecord from a specific lake. The paleorecord approach can be most powerful because the last 14,000 years encompass a wide range of climate conditions, including much. lower and higher temperatures, changes in season, and changes in runoff. Furthermore, it avoids the difference in topography and water chemistry that often characterizes different climatic regions.