A lake (from Latin lacus) is a large body of water (larger and deeper than a pond) within a

body of land. As a lake is separated from the ocean, it is not a sea. Some lakes are very big, and
people in the past sometimes called them seas. Lakes do not flow, like rivers, but many have rivers
flowing into and out of them. A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, that is
surrounded by land, apart from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie
on land and are not part of the ocean, and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are also larger and
deeper than ponds, though there are no official or scientific definitions. Most lakes are fed and
drained by rivers and streams.
Natural lakes are generally found in mountainous areas, rift zones, and areas with
ongoing glaciation. Other lakes are found in endorheic basins or along the courses of mature rivers. In
some parts of the world there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the
last Ice Age. All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales, as they will slowly fill in with
sediments or spill out of the basin containing them.Many lakes are artificial and are constructed for
industrial or agricultural use, for hydro-electric power generation or domestic water supply, or for
aesthetic, recreational purposes, or other activities.
Lakes can be categorzied according to the increasing productivity as oligotrophic,
mesotrophic, eutrophic, and hypereutrophic. Dystrophic lakes used to be classified as oligotrophic due
to their low productivity. However, more recent research shows dystrophia can be associated with any
of the trophic types. This is due to a wider possible pH range (acidic 4.0 to more neutral 8.0 on
occasion) and other fluctuating properties like nutrient availability and chemical composition.
Therefore, dystrophia can be categorized as a condition affecting trophic state rather than a trophic
state in itself.
Eutrophication (from Greek eutrophos, "well-nourished"), or hypertrophication, is when a
body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and nutrients which induce excessive growth of
plants and algae. This process may result in oxygen depletion of the water body. [3] One example is an
"algal bloom" or great increase of phytoplankton in a water body as a response to increased levels of
nutrients. Eutrophication is often induced by the discharge of nitrate or phosphate-
containing detergents, fertilizers, or sewage into an aquatic system. Eutrophication most commonly
arises from the oversupply of nutrients, most commonly as nitrogen or phosphorus, which leads to
overgrowth of plants and algae in aquatic ecosystems. After such organisms die, bacterial degradation
of their biomass results in oxygen consumption, thereby creating the state of hypoxia.
Dystrophic lakes, also known as humic lakes, are lakes that contain high amounts of humic
substances and organic acids. The presence of these substances causes the water to be brown in colour
and have a generally low pH of around 4.0-6.0. Due to these acidic conditions, there is
little biodiversity able to survive, consisting mostly of algae, phytoplankton, picoplankton,
and bacteria. Dystrophic lakes have a high level of dissolved organic carbon. This consists of contains
organic carboxylic and phenolic acids, which keep water pH levels relatively stable by acting as a
natural buffer. Therefore, the lake’s naturally acidic pH is largely unaffected by industrial emissions.
Dissolved organic carbon also reduces the entry of ultraviolet radiation and can reduce
the bioavailability of heavy metals by binding them. There is a significantly lowered calcium content
in the water and sediment of a dystrophic lake when compared with a regular lake.
Lakes are commonly known to be important sinks in the carbon cycle. Due to their high levels
of dissolved organic carbon, dystrophic lakes are significantly larger carbon sinks than clear lakes.
The elevated levels of carbon concentrations in humic lakes are affected by vegetation patterns in the
catchment area, the runoff from which is the main source of organic material. However, changes in
these levels can also be attributed to shifts in precipitation, modifications of soil mineralization rates,
reduced sulphate deposition, and changes in temperature. All these factors can be affected by climate
change. Overall, climate change is expected to increase the supply of organic carbon to lakes and
therefore change the character of some to the dystrophic one