Abstract

Small headwater lakes are common water features in northern environments. These small lakes are often reported to have an influence on downstream water quality; however, few studies have addressed the underlying hydrology of these systems and how small lakes influence downstream discharge or how far downstream these influences persist. We show that catchments with small lakes sustain baseflows compared to catchments without lakes. In addition, small lakes have limited influence on the magnitude and timing of peakflow events, except for immediately downstream of the lake where peakflow hydrographs are characterized by low magnitude and long duration. The relative contribution of lake water to downstream discharge can vary widely in time (between 0% and 75%) and be detectable when lakes make up as little as 0.5% of catchment area. This variability and persistence of lake water in stream networks may have important implications for how we interpret water quality patterns downstream of small lakes.

Published in

Limnology and Oceanography Letters
2019, Volume: 4, number: 4, pages: 105-112
Publisher: WILEY

SLU Authors

• Laudon, Hjalmar

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all


UKÄ Subject classification

Oceanography, Hydrology, Water Resources


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10110

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/101108