LAKES: It’s Classification & Composition

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Farnaz Pervaiz
BS IV
Semester VII
Roll No. 38155110
Session: 2015 - 2019
Fresh Water Biology (SP/Zoo-Fish-426)

DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY
LAHORE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN UNIVERSITY,
LAHORE
2018

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Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 3
2. CLASSIFICATION OF LAKES ........................................................................... 4
3. CLASSIFICATION OF LAKES BASED ON ORIGIN ....................................... 5
3.1. TECTONIC LAKES ....................................................................................... 5
3.2. Aeolian lakes: ................................................................................................. 5
3.3. Volcanic Lakes ................................................................................................ 6
3.4. Glacial Lakes: ................................................................................................. 6
3.5. Organic lakes:................................................................................................. 6
3.6. Fluvial lakes .................................................................................................... 7
3.7. Landslide lakes ................................................................................................ 7
3.8. Shoreline lakes ................................................................................................ 7
3.9. Solution Lakes ................................................................................................. 7
3.10. Anthropogenic lakes .................................................................................... 8
3.11. Meteorite Lakes: ........................................................................................ 8
4. TROPHIC CLASSIFICATION OF LAKES ......................................................... 9
4.1. Oligotrophic Lakes .......................................................................................... 9
4.2. Eutrophic Lakes............................................................................................... 9
4.3. Mesotrophic Lakes .......................................................................................... 9
4.4. Hypereutrophic Lake ..................................................................................... 10
5. LAKE CLASSIFICATION BASED ON INFLOW – OUTFLOW .................... 10
5.1. Temporary Lakes........................................................................................... 10
5.2. Permanent Lakes ........................................................................................... 10
5.3. Salk Lakes ..................................................................................................... 10
5.4. Freshwater lakes ............................................................................................ 11
6. THERMAL Classification OF LAKES ............................................................... 11
6.1. Amictic Lakes ............................................................................................... 11
6.2. Holomictic Lakes .......................................................................................... 11
6.2.1. Oligomictic Lakes .................................................................................. 12
6.2.2. Polymictic Lakes .................................................................................... 12
6.2.3. Monomictic Lakes ................................................................................. 12
6.2.4. Dimictic Lakes ....................................................................................... 12
6.3. Meromictic Lakes ...................................................................................... 13
7. Changing Lakes ................................................................................................... 13

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1. INTRODUCTION:

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A lake is a large body of natural water accumulated in a depression. Lakes occupy about
1.8 % of the earth’s surface. Lakes are classified depending on how they formed and
on the quality of the water (freshwater or saltwater). The majority of lakes on Earth are
fresh water, and most lie in the Northern Hemisphere at higher latitudes. Lakes contain
4 times more freshwater than the rivers, but, if they are not continuously supplied with
freshwater, they can disappear through desiccation or accumulation of sediments. Every
lake, is unique in terms of its size, morphometry, water availability, water chemistry,
physics, hydrology and biology.

Every lake is characterized by:

 Its surface area.

 Quality of water.
 Its volume of water.
 Its maximum depth of water.
 Biotic species and their density.
 Rate of Inflow and outflow of water.
 Total dissolved load of nutrients and sediments.
 Its basin, which is the depression holding the water.

2. CLASSIFICATION OF LAKES:
Lakes are important ecosystems and may be sources of water supply in certain regions
There are several type, kinds and categories of lakes in the world. The most common
classification of lakes is based on the size or dimension of lakes, whether it is small,
big or very large.
Lakes are classified on the basis of
1. Origin
2. Trophic levels
3. Mixing of water.
4. Nature of Inflow-outflow

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3. CLASSIFICATION OF LAKES BASED ON ORIGIN
Lakes are classified into various types based on their origin or mode of formation. Lake
basins are formed due to endogenous geological processes like tectonism and
volcanism and exogenous activities like landslides, glaciation, solution, river and wind
action. The major role played by lakes and reservoirs is the regulation of stream flow.

3.1. Tectonic Lakes:

Tectonic lakes often result in the formation of some of the deepest and largest lakes in
the world. Such lakes are formed by the tectonic movements of the Earth’s crust like
tilting, folding, faulting, etc. Lakes in this category may be exceptionally old. They
include Lake Titicaca, and the Caspian Sea.

Figure 2. Tectonic plate motion for the formation of lake basins.

3.2. Aeolian lakes:
Lakes produced as a result of the action of winds are called aeolian lakes. Such lakes
are usually formed in arid environments where layers of wind-blown sand act as a
natural dam in a lake basin, giving birth to an aeolian lake. An example of an aeolian
lake is Moses Lake in Washington, US.

Figure 2. Moses Lake in Washington, US Formed by wind action.

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 3.3. Volcanic Lakes:

Lakes with a volcanic origin are known as volcanic lakes. Lakes occurring in craters
and calderas and which include dammed lakes resulting from volcanic activity.
Volcanic lakes are formed in volcanic craters or calderas when the rate of precipitation
is higher than the rate of loss of water via evaporation or drainage through an outlet.
An example of a lake formed in a caldera is the Crater Lake.

Figure 4. Caldera lakes that form from volcanic activities

3.4. Glacial Lakes:

A lake formed by melting of glacier is called a glacial lake. The glaciers dug deep pools
on the rocks on which they formed, which filled with water after their melting. Lakes
formed by moraines of all types, and kettle lakes occurring in glacial drift also come
under this category. All of the cold temperate, and many warm temperate, lakes of the
world fall in this category (e.g. in Canada, Russia, Scandinavia, and New Zealand).

Figure 4. Kettle Lake formation from melting of Glaciers.

3.5. Organic lakes:

Organic lakes are formed by the action of flora or fauna. These lakes are relatively small
in size and quite rare in occurrence. An example of an organic lake is a reservoir created
by the damming of a river by the action of beavers. Coral lakes or dams created by
vegetative growth also lead to the formation of organic lakes.

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 3.6. Fluvial lakes:
As the river flows, a number of lakes are formed by the running water and are called
the fluvial lakes. The oxbow lake is a classic example of a fluvial lake. Carter Lake in
Iowa, US, is an example of an oxbow lake.

Figure 8. Meanders is being cut off and forming the Oxbow Lake.
3.7. Landslide lakes:
Landslide lakes are created when a river is naturally dammed by the deposition of debris
resulting from a rock avalanche, landslide, mudflow, or volcanic eruption. Earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions often lead to the formation of such lakes. The Usoi Dam located
in Tajikistan is a landslide dam triggered by an earthquake.

Figure 9. Lakes Formed by Landslide Dams, Due to the Haiti Earthquake.

3.8. Shoreline lakes

Shoreline lakes are formed along the coastline or between islands and mainland mainly
due to the deposition of sediments by rivers, wave action or ocean currents that result
in the creation of a water body separated from a larger water body by such deposits.
For examples, when estuaries are blocked or beach ridges grow by the action of sea
currents, shoreline lakes are created.

3.9. Solution Lakes:

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A solution lake is formed when the bedrock is soluble and the dissolution of the bedrock
by precipitation and percolating water results in the formation of hollows or cavities
that can give birth to a lake. Such lakes are common in areas with karst
topography. Solution lakes are found in part of Florida and Croatia’s Dalmatian coast.

Figure 10. A karst lake formed above the ground water.

3.10. Anthropogenic lakes

Such lakes are created as a direct or indirect result of human activities. The most
common origin of anthropogenic lakes is the creation of reservoirs by damming a river
or stream. Such reservoir lakes serve several purposes like the generation of
hydroelectricity, storage of water for future needs, pisciculture, etc.

Figure 10. Artificial Lake formed by building a Dam across a Valley

3.11. Meteorite Lakes:

Rare and dramatic. The only well documented example is the New Quebec Crater
in northern Quebec. The basin was formed by the explosion of gases following the
impact of a meteorite.

Figure 10. A Lake formed by falling Meteorite from Space.

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 4. TROPHIC CLASSIFICATION OF LAKES
A lake’s ability to support plant and animal life defines its level of productivity, or
trophic state. Trophic states are based on lake fertility. The root “trophy” means
nutrients; therefore, lakes are classified based on the amount of available nutrients for
organisms. More fertile lakes have more nutrients and therefore more plants and algae.
A water body can be oligotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic, and hypereutrophic.

4.1. Oligotrophic Lakes:

The least productive lakes are called ‘oligotrophic’. These are typically cool and clear,
and have relatively low nutrient concentrations. The waters of such lakes are of high-
drinking quality. Such lakes support aquatic species who require well-oxygenated, cold
waters such as lake trout. Small populations of phytoplankton and zooplankton are
present in this lake.

Figure 1. Trophic Classification of Lakes i.e. Oligotrophic, Mesotrophic & Eutrophic

4.2. Eutrophic Lakes:

The most productive lakes are called ‘eutrophic’ and are characterized by high nutrient
concentrations which result in algal growth, cloudy water, and low dissolved oxygen
levels. They produce high numbers of phytoplankton and zooplankton.

4.3. Mesotrophic Lakes:

The mesotrophic lake is intermediate in most characteristics between the oligotrophic

and eutrophic stages. These lakes have medium-level nutrients and are usually clear
water with submerged aquatic plants.

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 4.4. Hypereutrophic Lake:

Lakes that exhibit extremely high productivity, such as nuisance algae and weed growth
are called hypereutrophic lakes. The overgrowth of algae often suffocates the fauna
below the water depths and this might create dead zones beneath the water surface.

5. LAKE CLASSIFICATION BASED ON INFLOW – OUTFLOW

5.1. Temporary Lakes:

These may exist temporarily by filling up small depressions of undulating grounds after
a heavy shower. In such lakes rate of evaporation is much greater than the rate of
recharge through precipitation. They are usually saline. Example are Small lake of
Desert.

Figure 2. Lake shows small depression of undulating grounds

5.2. Permanent Lakes:

These lakes are deep and carry more water than could ever be evaporated. They are
usually freshwater lakes. In this kind of lakes, rate of Precipitation is greater than rate
of evaporation. Examples are Great Lakes of North America, East African Rift Lakes.

5.3. Salk Lakes:

Salt Lake is an inland body of water situated in an arid or semiarid region These lakes
exist in regions of low precipitation and intense evaporation. Because of intense
evaporation, the concentration of salts increases in the water body, turning them saline.
Examples are Great Salt Lake of Utah, USA, Dead Sea etc.

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 5.4. Freshwater lakes:

Most of the lakes in the world are freshwater lakes. They are usually found in low lying
areas and are fed from streams, rivers and runoff from the surrounding area. e.g. Great
Lakes of North America and Lake Baikal in Russia etc.

Figure 3. Freshwater and Permanent lakes which are Great Lakes of North America

6. THERMAL Classification OF LAKES

The classification is based on the extent to which the water is mixed and the number of
times during the year. It is also based on water circulation pattern in a year. Using this
classification, lakes can be divided into three main categories:
6.1. Amictic Lakes:
Amictic lakes have water whose surface is covered with ice throughout the year which
prevents the mixing of the waters beneath, and therefore allowing such lakes to exhibit
inverse cold-water stratification where water temperature increases with the increase in
depth. Such lakes are only found in the polar regions both in the Arctic and Antarctica.

6.2. Holomictic Lakes:

Holomictic lakes have with uniform density and temperature regardless of depth in a
particular period of the year. This is typical situation where the winds mix the "whole"
lake water once or more annually.

Holomictic lakes exist in Four distinct types:

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 6.2.1. Oligomictic Lakes: Mixing is unusual, irregular and of short duration,
these lakes are relative few in number and are mostly tropical.
6.2.2. Polymictic Lakes: They have many periods of mixing annually, even
approaching continuous mixing and are influenced more by daily
temperature changes than seasonal.

Figure 6. Polymictic Lakes mixing pattern which shows stratification

breaks down in warm & stratify briefly in summer
6.2.3. Monomictic Lakes: one turnover per year
1. Cold Monomictic Lakes: ice covered most of the year – turnover when lake
warms slightly during short ice-free period in the summer e.g. Arctic and high-
altitude lakes
2. Warm Monomictic Lakes: no ice cover – warm and stratified for most of the
year, turnover in winter when surface cools e.g. lower temperate region lakes)

Figure 5. Monomictic Lake Stratification Pattern which cold monomictic

shows do not stratify in summer and warm monomictic mix all water
6.2.4. Dimictic Lakes: turnovers in spring and fall, ice covered in winter.
Dimictic lakes are found in temperate regions.

Fig.3. Spring and Fall turnover in Dimictic Lakes

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 6.3. Meromictic Lakes:

Their periods of mixing usually are incomplete. These lakes, over time, have developed
a deep layer of water that has a much greater amount of material in solution than does
the upper waters. Due to the absence of intermixing of the water, the bottom layer of
the lake contains no dissolved oxygen and is therefore largely devoid of life.

Fig4. Lake Stratification of Meromictic Lakes, and related process

Meromictic lakes are few in the world compared to holomictic lakes with some
examples being Lake Tanganyika, Lake Kivu, Kaptai Lake, Jellyfish Lake etc.

7. Changing Lakes
Lake size and depth can change over time, owing to various reasons. Through natural
processes, lakes will ultimately fill with sediment, thereby "evolving" into a terrestrial
ecosystem. But human influences can accelerate the process. For example, Lake Chad,
once one of Africa's largest bodies of fresh water, has decreased in size due to an
increasingly dry climate and human demands for irrigation water.

The salinity of a lake can changes over time. For example, the Aral Sea had a salinity
of about 10 grams per liter (1.3 ounces per gallon) in 1960. In 1998, its salinity was
about 45 grams per liter (6 ounces per gallon), and is now too salty to support the
organisms that lived there previously.

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Figure 11. A series of maps detail the rapid disappearance of Lake Chad.

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