Eutrophication is recognized as the most common and severe environmental hazard in lake ecosystems. A recent investigation focusing on 67 major Chinese lakes has indicated that nearly 75% of them have undergone eutrophication processes. Dr Wenzhi Liu, Guihua Liu, and Quanfa Zhang in Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences studied the eutrophication pattern and its driving forces of Chinese lakes. Their research was supported by the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (2008CB418000).

They found that natural factors together accounted for 13.3% to 57.5% of thevariance in eutrophication parameters. Lake depth, volume, elevation, and mean annual precipitation were the main predictors of eutrophication parameters for different lake groups (Hydrobiologia 644: 289-299). The trophic state of the lower Yangtze floodplain lakes was mainly controlled by the percentages of cropland and built-up land in watersheds, while that of Yunnan plateau lakes was mostly determined by the lake depth and water residence time (CLEAN–Soil, Air, Water 39: 35-42). They also suggested that, for a given total area, large and clustered agricultural or urban patches in watershed might have greater impact on lake water quality than small and scattered ones. (Hydrological Processes doi:10.1002/hyp.8157).