Without mixing to provide dissolved oxygen, the lake bottom, lacking enough light for photosynthesis to occur, tends to have a very limited supply of oxygen during the summer. Respiration by animals and bacteria can deplete the dissolved oxygen at the bottom of the lake. A stratified lake of this nature is said to be in summer stagnation. Dead algae sink to the lake bottom and are decomposed by bacteria. This accelerates the depletion of dissolved oxygen in the hypolimnion as aerobic bacteria use oxygen to decompose the wealth of organic material raining down from the epilimnion. During summer stagnation the lake bottom can become anoxic (i.e., without oxygen) and anaerobic bacteria begin to decompose organic material without the aid of dissolved oxygen. If dead algae accumulate at a faster rate than bacteria decompose the organic matter, sediment deposited in the lake will be rich in organics. This is likely because without thorough mixing to provide the surface water with nutrients from the bottom, the algae eventually begin to limit the available nutrients in the epilimnion. Lack of available nutrients can cause large die-offs of algae, adding to the organic matter on the lake bottom. Frequently, anaerobic bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S), so the organic-rich sediment may have the odor of “rotten eggs”. Some of the sulfur in the H2S may combine with iron to form pyrite or “fool’s gold” (FeS2). For example, when a core composed of fine sediment is taken from the bottom of Lake Michigan and is cut open, commonly dark laminations are observed, which disappear within an hour. The dark material is likely pyrite that oxidizes (combines with oxygen) to iron oxide when exposed to air.
As autumn approaches and temperatures decrease, the epilimnion begins to decrease in depth (Figure 4). Eventually the epilimnion gets so shallow that it can no longer be maintained as a separate layer and the lake loses its stratification. Thus, as in the spring, the lake water in the autumn has generally uniform temperatures (about 4°C in late autumn), and wind can once again thoroughly mix the lake water. In addition, surface water, which is in direct contact with the cold air, gets cooled faster than the water below. This cold, dense water sinks and further helps to mix the lake, and once more oxygen and nutrients are replenished throughout the lake (Figure 5). This process is called autumn overturn
Without mixing to provide dissolved oxygen, the lake bottom, lacking enough light for photosynthesis to occur, tends to have a very limited supply of oxygen during the summer. Respiration by animals and bacteria can deplete the dissolved oxygen at the bottom of the lake. A stratified lake of this nature is said to be in summer stagnation. Dead algae sink to the lake bottom and are decomposed by bacteria. This accelerates the depletion of dissolved oxygen in the hypolimnion as aerobic bacteria use oxygen to decompose the wealth of organic material raining down from the epilimnion. During summer stagnation the lake bottom can become anoxic (i.e., without oxygen) and anaerobic bacteria begin to decompose organic material without the aid of dissolved oxygen. If dead algae accumulate at a faster rate than bacteria decompose the organic matter, sediment deposited in the lake will be rich in organics. This is likely because without thorough mixing to provide the surface water with nutrients from the bottom, the algae eventually begin to limit the available nutrients in the epilimnion. Lack of available nutrients can cause large die-offs of algae, adding to the organic matter on the lake bottom. Frequently, anaerobic bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S), so the organic-rich sediment may have the odor of “rotten eggs”. Some of the sulfur in the H2S may combine with iron to form pyrite or “fool’s gold” (FeS2). For example, when a core composed of fine sediment is taken from the bottom of Lake Michigan and is cut open, commonly dark laminations are observed, which disappear within an hour. The dark material is likely pyrite that oxidizes (combines with oxygen) to iron oxide when exposed to air. As autumn approaches and temperatures decrease, the epilimnion begins to decrease in depth (Figure 4). Eventually the epilimnion gets so shallow that it can no longer be maintained as a separate layer and the lake loses its stratification. Thus, as in the spring, the lake water in the autumn has generally uniform temperatures (about 4°C in late autumn), and wind can once again thoroughly mix the lake water. In addition, surface water, which is in direct contact with the cold air, gets cooled faster than the water below. This cold, dense water sinks and further helps to mix the lake, and once more oxygen and nutrients are replenished throughout the lake (Figure 5). This process is called autumn overturn
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