What are the life stages of a lake?

What are the life stages of a lake? Ponds or lakes are divided into 3 categories; they are either Oligotrophic, Mesotrophic, or Eutrophic stages of their life (listed youngest to oldest). Oligotrophic bodies of water are considered new or young ponds or lakes in the overall scheme of things.

How do lakes end?

Exorheic, or open lakes drain into a river, or other body of water that ultimately drains into the ocean. Endorheic basins fall into the category of endorheic or closed lakes, wherein waters do not drain into the ocean, but are reduced by evaporation, and/or drain into the ground.

What makes a lake a lake?

It may surprise you to know there is no technical difference between lakes and ponds, according to the National Park Service(Opens in a new window). However, a general rule of a thumb is if a body of water is large and deep it's a lake and if it's short and shallow it's a pond.

What happens to lakes over time?

All lakes, even the largest, slowly disappear as their basins fill with sediment and plant material. The natural aging of a lake happens very slowly, over the course of hundreds and even thousands of years. But with human influence, it can take only decades. A lake's plants and algae slowly die.

At what point does a lake become a pond?

During the summer, if a waterbody is deep enough to stratify into three distinct layers, with one warm layer on top, one cold layer at the bottom and a layer of rapidly changing temperature in between (called a “thermocline”), then it is a “lake,” while a waterbody with one or two weakly defined layers is a “pond.”

What happens when a lake or pond turns over?

Cooler weather means your lake or pond will soon turn over. When this happens the entire water column will mix or “turnover”. As a result, the bottom sediments are stirred and anaerobic conditions are mixed throughout the entire pond for a period of time.

How old are most lakes?

Most of the world's millions of lakes are less than 18,000 years old and were formed when glaciers melted at the end of the last Ice Age. Geologists classify just 30 lakes, including Ohrid and Prespa, as “ancient”—defined by some researchers as persisting more than one ice age cycle (at least 130,000 years).

What happens to lakes as they age?

Lake aging is the natural process by which a lake fills in over geologic time with erosional materials carried in by tributary streams, with materials deposited directly from the atmosphere, and with materials produced within the lake itself.

What is the lifespan of a lake?

Lakes lifespans are limited, as rivers dump their sediment into them and dead plant material builds up on the lake bottom. Most lakes are less than 10,000 years old.

What happens when a lake becomes stagnant?

Algae are tiny plants that multiply rapidly when the water becomes stagnant. Some types of algae produce toxins that can be harmful to both humans and animals. Moreover, these algae can form dense layers that block sunlight from reaching the bottom of the water.

What usually happens to lakes over time?

All lakes, even the largest, slowly disappear as their basins fill with sediment and plant material. The natural aging of a lake happens very slowly, over the course of hundreds and even thousands of years. But with human influence, it can take only decades. A lake's plants and algae slowly die.

Can lakes turn into rivers?

Most lakes have at least one natural outflow in the form of a river or stream, which maintain a lake's average level by allowing the drainage of excess water. Some lakes do not have a natural outflow and lose water solely by evaporation or underground seepage, or both.

What are 5 facts about lake?