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Thermal structure of lakes varying in size and water clarity
Author(s) -
Mazumder Asit,
Taylor William D.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1994.39.4.0968
Subject(s) - epilimnion , environmental science , range (aeronautics) , clarity , seiche , hydrology (agriculture) , atmospheric sciences , physical geography , hypolimnion , oceanography , geology , ecology , geography , eutrophication , nutrient , biology , biochemistry , materials science , geotechnical engineering , composite material
The epilimnion depth of lakes is related both to lake size, which affects wind‐induced mixing, and to water clarity, which affects the depth over which solar radiation heats the water. Here we attempt to isolate the relative importance of these two variables by examining lakes that have changed in water clarity with time (between years), by examining nearby lakes of comparable size, and by partitioning a large number of lakes into subsets with a restricted range in size or Secchi depth. Overall, results indicate that both lake size and water clarity are important determinants of epilimnion depth, but the absolute effect (indicated by slope) of Secchi depth is approximately constant in small (<12.5 km 2 ) as well as large lakes and the Laurentian Great Lakes, while its relative importance (indicated by r 2 ) appears to be restricted to the small lakes.