![]() ![]() ![]() Warmer water, being less dense than colder water, remains on the surface and the lake once again begins to stratify. In late spring and early summer, solar energy warms the water’s surface. This process creates a powerful convection current that continues to churn until all the lake water is an even 39☏, top to bottom, and the water has reached its oxygen saturation point (approximately 12 parts per million). When the surface water warms to 39☏, it sinks, pushing through the deeper water and infusing it with oxygen. The lake’s surface water begins exchanging gases with the air. Just when the lake’s oxygen supply is nearly exhausted, spring arrives and the ice cover slowly melts, exposing the surface to warmer temperatures and vigorous vernal winds. Once a lake is frozen, the depletion of oxygen by the lake organisms begins. The ice acts as a barrier to wind, which prevents the lake water from mixing it also inhibits the lake’s exchange with oxygen in the atmosphere. Ice, less dense than water, forms when the lake’s surface temperature reaches 32☏. As the lake continues to cool it becomes stratified – the heavy, 39☏ water stays on the bottom, while the water near the top is chilled by the below freezing air temperatures. In the fall, a lake cools until it reaches a uniform 39☏. We’ll begin our spring lake turnover story in autumn. A third significant number regarding water chemistry is 39☏ – the temperature of maximum water density. We know that 212☏ is the boiling point for water, and 32☏ is freezing. The density of water changes with temperature. So how does a body of water accumulate oxygen? To understand, we must first be aware of the temperature-density relationship of water. Trout, in particular, require consistently high levels of oxygen for survival. Algae, fish, aquatic insects and crustaceans are sustained only in waters that contain adequate oxygen. Oxygen is vital for lake quality – it is the gas that drives the life cycles of aquatic plants and animals. Spring lake turnover is the process by which a lake mixes itself, thereby replenishing its oxygen supply. But the spring thaw is more than just a launching pad for recreational activities it also triggers spring lake turnover, a critical phenomenon on which aquatic plant and animal life depends. We anticipate the water activities we’ll soon be enjoying: swimming, boating, and fishing. The longer days and higher temperatures entice plants to emerge and trees to bud. The onset of spring brings many changes to our part of the world. ![]()
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