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FIELD TESTING OF AN ICE‐PRESERVING WINTER LAKE AERATION SYSTEM 1
Author(s) -
Ellis Christopher R.,
Stefan Heinz G.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1991.tb03141.x
Subject(s) - aeration , environmental science , stratification (seeds) , hydrology (agriculture) , water column , diffuser (optics) , environmental engineering , oceanography , geology , ecology , seed dormancy , light source , botany , germination , geotechnical engineering , physics , dormancy , optics , biology
Artificial aeration is used to prevent winter fish kills due to oxygen depletion in ice‐covered lakes. Conventional aeration by air bubble plumes and other techniques usually mixes the water column and produces hazardous open water in the ice cover. A non‐mixing winter lake aeration system which creates a fish refuge was designed and field tested to oxygenate the water and maintain water temperature stratification in a lake such that no open water is created. The system uses a cascade aerator and has a design discharge and dissolved oxygen input rate of 85 1/s and 70 kg/d, respectively. Aerated water is discharged near mid‐depth with minimum disturbance of the ambient water through a specially designed diffuser. The system was tested in a shallow 3 m deep lake of 17 ha surface area during two winters and was found to perform as expected. Significant photosynthetic production of dissolved oxygen under the ice‐cover was also observed during snow‐free periods.