Canadian Forest Service Publications
Headwater lakes and their influence on downstream discharge. 2019. Leach, J.A.; Laudon, H. Limnology and Oceanography 4(4): 105-112.
Year: 2019
Issued by: Great Lakes Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 39823
Language: English
Availability: PDF (download)
Available from the Journal's Web site. †
DOI: 10.1002/lol2.10110
† This site may require a fee
Plain Language Summary
There are an estimated 110 million small lakes (surface area less than 10 ha) in the world and little is known about how these lakes influence downstream discharge and water quality. We show that streamflow contributions from these small lakes can persist at least 4.2 km downstream and be detectable when the lake makes up as little as 0.5% of the catchment area. In addition, lake influences on downstream discharge can vary considerably over time; therefore, it is important to consider the influence of small lakes when interpreting water quality observations made downstream of these waterbodies.
