Scaling relations reveal global and regional differences in morphometry of reservoirs and natural lakes

Water bodies provide essential ecosystem services linked to morphometric features that might differ between natural lakes and reservoirs. We use the HydroLAKES global dataset to quantitatively compare large (area > 1 km2) reservoirs and natural lakes in terms of scaling exponents between morphometric measures (volume, area, shore length). These exponents are further compared to those expected from geometrical assumptions and constraints. Lakes cover a larger range of volumes for the same range of surface areas than reservoirs, and have a larger volume-area scaling exponent. The volume-area scaling exponent for reservoirs (but not natural lakes) and the area-shore length exponent for all water bodies follow the predictions for self-affine surfaces. Land cover and terrain influence the scaling relations more for lakes than for reservoirs. These morphometric differences may be used to model the impact of reservoirs and lakes on hydrological processes and associated ecosystem services at regional to global scales. [Display omitted] •Lake morphometrics can be summarized and compared using their scaling relations.•Global morphometric scaling exponents are analyzed for natural lakes and reservoirs.•Volume increases with area more rapidly for natural lakes than for reservoirs.•Land cover and terrain influence some scaling relations for lakes, but not reservoirs.•Results suggest that lakes and reservoirs cannot provide same ecosystem services.