What is the natural aging process observed in lakes and ponds?
What is the natural aging process observed in lakes and ponds? Eutrophication is the process of increased productivity of a lake as it ages. Often this process is greatly accelerated by human influence and is termed cultural eutrophication.
Do ponds eventually fill in?
If left alone, the pond or lake will eventually fill in completely, and become a swamp or wetland at best. Most existing farm ponds fall in the eutrophic category and need help quickly to slow the aging process.
How do you age a lake?
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.
How long do natural ponds last?
This aging process can vary in time from 25-100 years or more depending on pond location, water depth, size, latitude, longitude, watershed range of elevation, runoff velocity, soil types, rates of sedimentation, nutrient loads, primary productivity rates, loads of total dissolved and suspended solids, water quality, ...