2024 global mean lake surface water temperature (LSWT) was 0.3 °C greater than the 2001–2023 average, the fourth highest on record. Particularly strong positive — and record-breaking — LSWT anomalies occurred throughout Canada and north-eastern Europe, in some cases exceeding 2 °C.

Key points

• Global-mean LSWT continues to trend positively, increasing at a rate of 0.26 °C dec^–1.
• LSWT anomalies generally increase with air temperature, the exception being lakes affected by glacial meltwater or snow melting, as in the Tibetan Plateau and Andes.
• Although positive LSWT anomalies predominate globally, clusters of negative anomalies occurred in parts of Kazakhstan and into Russia, often the coolest on record.

Shi, K., Wang, X., Qin, Y. et al. Lake surface water temperature in 2024. Nat Rev Earth Environ 6, 258–260 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-025-00654-1