Sedimentation processes in lakes

Abstract

Lake sediments are an important, integral part of the lake ecosystem. They reflect changes in land-use and lake characteristics and are often regarded as an historical archive. They also affect the present structure and function of lake ecosystems. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) in lakes mainly emanate from tributaries (allochthonous matter), from living and dead matter produced in the lake (autochthonousmatter), or from resuspendedmaterials. SPMregulates the transport of all types of water pollutants in dissolved and particulate phases; it regulates water clarity and the depth of the photic zone, and hence also primary and secondary production; it regulates bacterioplankton production and biomass, and hence also mineralization, oxygen consumption, and oxygen concentrations; and it regulates sedimentation, and hence also the use of sediments as an historical archive, e.g., of water pollutants. These matters are discussed in this chapter. The aim of the information given is to structure existing knowledge on the factors regulating variations among and within aquatic systems of suspended particulate matter in a rational manner. This knowledge is fundamental for an understanding of the function and structure of aquatic systems.

Published in

Encyclopedia of earth sciences
2012, pages: 701-710
Title: Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs
Publisher: Springer

SLU Authors

• Håkanson, Lars

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Ecology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4410-6_3
• ISBN: 978-1-4020-5616-1
• eISBN: 978-1-4020-4410-6

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/132291