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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/5944| Title: | A limnological reconnaissance in interior Alaska |
| Authors: | Dartmouth College. Likens, Gene E., 1935- Johnson, Philip L., 1931- |
| Keywords: | Alaska Lakes Water chemistry Water Lake water Lake circulation Temperatures Vegetation Flora Sediments Light transmission Limnology EPOLAR |
| Publisher: | Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (U.S.) Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Series/Report no.: | Research report (Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (U.S.)) ; 239. |
| Description: | Research Report Abstract: Chemical, physical and biological measurements were made in about 40 lakes and 9 other aquatic habitats in interior Alaska, primarily in the Tanana and Yukon River drainages. The lakes were classified according to circulation patterns, inferred from temperature and chemical profiles, into mononictic (22 to 24 lakes), dimictic (13 to 15 lakes) and meromictic (3 lakes) types. The lake waters were generally very alkaline in both the Yukon and Tanana drainages. Calcium, magnesium, sodium and bicarbonate ions dominated the water chemistry. In several lakes concentrations of sulfate and magnesium exceeded the limits suggested for potable water. The chemistry of surface water from various springs and the Arctic Coastal Plain was contrasted with that of lakes in interior Alaska. Sediment temperatures demonstrated a significant feature of unfrozen lakes in cold regions: a considerable net amount of heat flows from the water to the underlying sediments annually. Light penetration into the lakes varied widely (extinction coefficients of 0.46/m to 3.57/m). A relatively high rate of carbon fixation (764 mg C/m^3 day) was measured in C^14 experiments. It was inferred that nutrients were the more probable limiting factor for primary production in these lakes. |
| Rights: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/5944 |
| Appears in Collections: | CRREL Research Report |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRREL-Research-Report-239.pdf | 15.23 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |