Abstract
Periodic high spring runoff, in addition to lake surface snow and ice melt, is shown to be a major cause of sharp secondary chemocline formation in a small (20 ha) lake in arid south-central British Columbia. Initially detected in 1982 at about 1 m and enhanced by high inflow of low salinity meltwater in spring 1983, the secondary chemocline gradually deepened and broke down over four subsequent years. Associated microstratification layers (major changes within a few cm of depth), exhibited very high temperatures (> 30 °C), and very high dissolved oxygen (>200% saturation) as well as very low (close to 0% saturation) levels. Oxygen supersaturation resulted from photosynthetic production at the microstratification boundaries. In the springs of 1982 and 1983, formation of an anoxic layer between regions of high oxygen concentration, separated the phytoplankton and Zooplankton communities into two layers above the primary chemocline. The several year persistence of the secondary chemoclines and associated interface processes (concentration of particulate organic matter, bacterial decomposition, nutrient regeneration, phytoplanktonic production) attest to their functional importance in this meromictic lake.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
American Public Health Association, American Water Work Association & Water Pollution Control Federation, 1985. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 16th ed. APHA, AWWA, WPCF, Wash. D. C, 1268 pp.
Anderson, G. C, 1958. Some limnological features of a shallow saline meromictic lake. Limnol. Oceanogr. 3: 259–270.
Birge, E. A. & C. Juday, 1911. The inland lakes of Wisconsin. The dissolved gases of the water and their biological significance. Bull. Wis. Geol. Nat. Hist. Survey 22, Sci. Ser. 7, 259 pp.
Cloern, J. E., B. E. Cole & S. M. Wienke, 1987. Big Soda Lake (Nevada). 4. Vertical fluxes of particulate matter: seasonality and variations across the chemocline. Limnol. Oceanogr. 32: 815–824.
Elgmork, K. & A. Langeland, 1980. Cyclops scutifer Sars -one and two-year life cycles with diapause in the meromictic lake. Blankvatn. Arch. Hydrobiol. 88: 178–201.
EPA, 1980. An approach to water resources evaluation of non-point silvicultural sources (a procedural handbook). U.S. Envir. Prot. Agency, Envir. Res. Lab., Off. Res. Dev., Athens, Georgia, EPA-600/8-80–012, Chap. 3, 173 pp.
Hall, K. J. & T. G. Northcote, 1986. Conductivity-temperature standardization and dissolved solids estimation in a meromictic saline lake. Can. J. Fish, aquat. Sci. 43: 2450–2454.
Hall, K. J. & T. G. Northcote, 1990. Production and decomposition processes in a saline meromictic lake. Hydro-biologia 197: 115–128.
Hammer, U. T., 1986. Saline lake ecosystems of the world. Kluwer Academic Publishers Group, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 614 pp.
Hammer, U. T., R. C. Haynes, J. R. Lawrence & M. C. Swift, 1978. Meromixis in Waldsea Lake, Saskatchewan. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 20: 192–200.
Hudec, P. P. & P. Sonnenfeld, 1980. Comparison of Caribbean solar ponds with inland solar lakes of British Columbia. In: Brines and Evaporitic Environments. A. Nissenbaum [ed.] Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 101–114.
Kimmel, B. L., R. M. Gersberg, L. P. Paulson, R. P. Axler & C. R. Goldman, 1978. Recent changes in the meromictic status of Big Soda Lake, Nevada. Limnol. Oceanogr. 23: 1021–1025.
Michel, B., 1971. Winter regime of rivers and lakes. Cold Regions Science and Engineering Monograph 111-Bla, 131pp.
Mortimer, C. H., 1981. The oxygen content of air-saturated fresh waters over ranges of temperature and atmospheric pressure of limnological interest. Mitt. int. Ver. Limnol. 22, 23 pp.
Northcote, T. G. & K. J. Hall, 1983. Limnological contrasts and anomalies in two adjacent saline lakes. Hydrobiologia 105: 179–194.
Northcote, T. G. & T. G. Halsey, 1969. Seasonal changes in the limnology of some meromictic lakes in southern British Columbia. J. Fish Res. Bd. Can. 26: 1763–1787.
Shulyakovskii, L. G. [ed.], 1966. Manual of forecasting ice-formation for rivers and inland lakes. Manual of Hydrological Forecasting No. 4, 245 pp.
Swift, M. C. & U. T. Hammer, 1979. Zooplankton population dynamics and Diaptomus production in Waldsea Lake, a saline meromictic lake in Saskatchewan. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Can. 36: 1431–1438.
Walker, K. F., 1974. The stability of meromictic lakes in central Washington. Limnol. Oceanogr. 19: 209–222.
Wetzel, R. G., 1983. Limnology. Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia, USA, 859 pp.
Williams, G P., 1963. Probability charts for predicting ice thickness. Engineering Journal, E.I.C. 46: 31–35.
Zehr, J. P., R. W. Harvey, R. S. Oremland, J. E. Cloern & L. H. George, 1987. Big Soda Lake (Nevada) 1. Pelagic bacterial heterotrophy and biomass. Limnol. Oceanogr. 32: 781–793.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this paper
Cite this paper
Northcote, T.G., Hall, K.J. (1990). Vernal microstratification patterns in a meromictic saline lake: their causes and biological significance. In: Comín, F.A., Northcote, T.G. (eds) Saline Lakes. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 59. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0603-7_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0603-7_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6759-1
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0603-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive