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Plankton and seston of a Colorado (U.S.A.) alpine lake: The winter anomaly and the inlet‐outlet budget
Author(s) -
Keefer Verne M.,
Pennak Robert W.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
internationale revue der gesamten hydrobiologie und hydrographie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 0020-9309
DOI - 10.1002/iroh.1977.3510620205
Subject(s) - seston , plankton , zooplankton , environmental science , phytoplankton , oceanography , inlet , hydrology (agriculture) , biomass (ecology) , sedimentation , sediment , ecology , nutrient , geology , biology , paleontology , geotechnical engineering
Long Lake, Colorado, at an altitude of 3209 m, is oligotrophic and has an annual ice cover of 240 days. Greatest phytoplankton biomass (mostly μ‐algae) was attained in April and May under thick ice and snow. The Zooplankton was sparse; Cyclops was most abundant in winter, but cladocerans and rotifers had no seasonal maxima. The lake had a total water replacement of 38.7 times per year. Heavy June runoff flushes cut more than 99% of the plankton. On an annual basis, about twice as much plankton biomass is lost through the outlet as comes in through the inlet. Total monthly organic seston sedimentation (fallout) rates for the whole lake ranged from 16.1 kg in October to 730.8 kg in June. Total annual seston production (balance) was 8.0 g organic matter or 4.24 g carbon/m 2 .