A LIMNOLOGICAL RECONNAISSANCE IN INTERIOR ALASKA.
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 monomictic (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/cu m day) was measured in C14 experiments. It was inferred that nutrients were the more probable limiting factor for primary production in these lakes. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1968
- Accession Number
- AD0675405
Entities
People
- Gene E. Likens
- Philip L. Johnson
Organizations
- Dartmouth College