Lake Morphometry and Light

Lake Morphometry
Shape and size of lake influences
– Heat
LAKE MORPHOMETRY – Thermal stability
– Light transmission
– Biotic community (plants, fish, insects, plankton)
– Chemical masses (movement of salts, nutrients,
etc.)

Lake Morphometry Lake Morphometry

Lake characteristics
• Maximum length (l; m)
– Also called the fetch (wind interacts with this)
– Greatest distance between shoreline points
• Area (Ao; m2)
– Lake surface area
• Volume (V; m3)
– Bathymetric map provides insight (depends on
resolution) Aside from surface area, the depth of a lake is an important factor
that determines the volume of water that a lake can hold.

Lake Morphometry Lake Morphometry

• Maximum depth (Zmax) – deepest point
For nearly circular
• Mean depth (Z) = V/Ao = m3/m2 = m
lakes, the volume
between any 2 isobaths
• Z:Zmax = measure of shape of the lake
can be estimated. Cylinder Ratio = 1
Cone Ratio = 0.33
• Shoreline length (L) = total linear distance of
the shoreline
= circumference

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 Lake Morphometry and Light

Lake Morphometry Lake Morphometry

Lake Morphometry Lake Morphometry

Light
1. Light is source of heat energy
2. Drives most thermal dynamics
LIGHT 3. Stratifies water masses
4. Circulates water masses
5. Drives photosynthesis
6. Affects biological behavior

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 Lake Morphometry and Light

Light Light

Light Light
2. Scattering
• particles (biological and abiotic)
• dissolved substances (tannins)

3. Absorption
• Light is weird stuff – wave-like behavior but also
particulate called photons
• Absorbed photon releases energy as heat
•Most heat generated in upper 1 meter

Light penetrating the water is called incident light (I0)

Light: measurements Light: measurements

• Spectroradiometer
– measures light wavelengths

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 Lake Morphometry and Light

Light: measurements Light: measurements

• Photometer • Secchi disk
– measures quantity
of photons hitting
the sensor
– μmol/sec/m2 =
μEinstein = μE
– or…the photons of
light exerted per
second per unit
area =
IRRADIANCE

Light: measurements Light attenuation

• Secchi disk
– Secchi depth = [zdisappearance + zreappearance]
2
– attenuation (or extinction ) coefficient
• k = secchi depth (in meters) ÷ 1.7
• The light attenuation coefficient, k, can then be used in
a form of the Beer-Lambert law,

• where Iz = intensity of light at depth z and I0, = intensity

of light at the water surface

Problem Solution
• If light intensity at the surface is 1000 µEm-2s-1 Given: I0 = 1000 µEm-2s-1
and the light intensity at the bottom (7 m) is 9 I7 = 9 µEm-2s-1
µEm-2s-1, what is the light level at 4 m? • Extinction coefficient :
k = (ln(1000) –ln(9))/7= (6.91-2.2)/7 = 0.681
• Predicted light at 4 m:

lnIz = - kZ + ln I0
lnI4 = - (0.681)4 + ln (1000)
lnI4 = - 2.72 + 6.91 = 4.186
I4 = 65.8 µEm-2s-1

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Light extinction
Light extinction
• red (long wavelengths) are absorbed first
(chlorophyll a “eats” this)
• blue (short wavelengths) light backscatters
and reflects as blue
• At greater depth, loss of most color except
blue wavelengths (penetrates deep water)
Light and heat
Specific heat capacity* of water= 4.2 joules per gram
*Amount of energy necessary to raise 1 g water by 1
degree Celsius
Compare to other substances:
– Mercury = 0.14 j/g
– Grain alcohol = 2.3 j/g

Water is very high compared to most
Lake Morphometry and Light
Light extinction
Varies with trophic status
– Oligotrophic – photic zone 20-25 m (or deeper)
– Mesotrophic – photic zone 5-15 m
– Eutrophic – photic zone 0-5 m
• algal blooms block light … strong stratification possible
Light extinction
Light and heat
• Density of water changes with temperature
– density is mass per volume
– most dense at 4oC (actually 3.94oC)
– density declines as temperature increases
– ice at 0° C is 8.5% lighter than liquid water at 0°, so it
floats
• Water masses can stratify (warm floats on top of
cold)
• Related to photic zone (warms faster than
aphotic and causes temperature stratification)