Limnological Studies of a Subarctic Lake System

• Published in: Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie
• Main Authors: Alexander, Vera, Barsdate, Robert J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1974
• Subjects: Ace Lake; Subarctic; taiga; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/iroh.19740590602; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Firoh.19740590602; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/iroh.19740590602

Abstract A limnological study was carried out on a pair of lakes within the taiga forest of interior Alaska. These lakes, Ace and Deuce Lakes, are irregular in that one of them (Deuce Lake) is meromictic, never undergoing complete circulation, and the other (Ace Lake) has a spring circulation which is confined to the surface layers and autumnal mixing is attenuated. The ionic composition is similar to lakes in the surrounding area, with somewhat higher levels of dissolved ions. The unique features of the lake system are related to the meromictic tendencies and highly colored water with rather high ionic content. Primary productivity rates are relatively high by interior Alaskan standards, and nutrient levels are high. Primary productivity is confined to the surface meter, but even so annual productivity amounts to more than 70 g C/m 2 ‐yr.