Original paper
Limnology of a perturbed highly saline Canadian lake
Hammer, U. Theodore; Parker, Robert C.
Archiv für Hydrobiologie Volume 102 Number 1 (1984), p. 31 - 42
22 references
published: Nov 14, 1984
DOI: 10.1127/archiv-hydrobiol/102/1984/31
ArtNo. ESP141010201002, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Patience Lake has increased in salinity from 175 (15 June 1970) to as high as 428 (14 May 1981) g • I-1 as a result of dissolved potash mine tailings added to the lake. Over two decades it has changed from a sodium-magnesium sulphate lake to one that is dominated by sodium chloride. This change in salinity and salt type has resulted in ice formation only during extremely cold conditions. In January 1982 ice formation occurred when air temperatures below —30 °C persisted. Under 15 cm of ice in late January water temperature was —24. 4 °C. Although several diatom species, a blue-green alga, a cladoceran and a calanoid copepod were present in the early 1970s, Dunaliella salina was the only organism of importance in 1981—1982. Artemia salina was not present in the lake itself but was in nearby saline ponds. During 1981—1982 Dunaliella densities varied from 500 cells per ml (1 December 1981) to 5.2 x 104 cells per ml (2 October 1981) and chlorophyll-a ranged from 4.24 (1 December) to 45.6 (27 August 1981) mg m-3. Primary productivity ranged from a maximum of 280 (27 August) to 1.13 mg C m-3 on 1 December. Annual production for the lake was estimated at 29.15 g C m-2. Except for some protozoa benthic fauna were absent.
Keywords
saline • ice formation • Dunaliella • cladoceran • Canadian • Patience Lake