Lake Types and Formation
Trophic States
Lake Zones
Stratification and Turnover
Puzzles & Riddles
100
What is the largest (by volume) and deepest lake in the world?
Lake Baikal
100
What does the root word -troph mean?
Food
100
Describe the profundal zone in one sentence.
The deep area of a lake where sunlight does not reach.
100
Why does cold water tend to sink and hot water tend to rise to the surface?
Differences in Density
100
You can replace the dashes with the same four-letter word, and create two new words, one that starts with ARM, and one that ends in ING.
arm----
----ing
What is one of the possible words that could be used?
Band (Armband & Banding)
Rest (Armrest & Resting)
Load (Armload & Loading)
Lock (Armlock & Locking)
200
Which type type of lake formation created the African Rift Lakes like Lake Malawi and Lake Victoria?
Tectonic
200
Which trophic state would a lake that has murky green water, and supports the growth of many floating plants, fall under?
Eutrophic
200
Which zone would you expect to find crayfish and other burrowing animals living in?
Benthic Zone
200
Which season has the most pronounced stratification of the lake, with warm water remaining on the surface and colder water sinking to the bottom?
Summer
200
What wicked thing battles the darkness?
A candle
300
Do you think oxbow lakes would be more likely to form in a steep, mountainous stretch of river or a slower, flatter section?
Slow and flat. It allows the river to meander and curve.
300
Lakes in which trophic state are popular for scuba diving because of their extremely clear water?
Oligotrophic
300
Which zone would you expect to find terrestrial organisms like turtles and insects?
Littoral
300
What is the name of the uppermost, warmest layer of the lake during summer stratification?
Epilimnion
300
My first is in mammoth, but not in elephant.
My second is in racoon, but not in beaver.
My third is in dobbin, but not in horse.
My fourth is in koala, and in kangaroo.
My fifth is in tiger, but not in lion.
My last is in pony, but not in horse.
What am I?
Monkey
400
Karst lakes and underground caverns in the central US and Cenotes in Mexico are both examples of which type of lake formation?
Bonus: What type of stone is most commonly found around these lakes?
Solution Lakes
Bonus: Limestone
400
Turbidity can be used as a way to quickly estimate a lakes trophic state, but if you want a more definitive result you can test the lake water for the total concentration of what compound?
Chlorophyll
400
Phytoplankton and zooplankton are most common in which zone of the lake?
The limnetic zone
400
In the winter the lake stratifies "backwards" with the coldest water and ice on top, and slightly warmer water underneath. This is because water's density is greatest at which temperature?
4 oC
400
What silent guardian prevents attempted murder?
Scarecrow
500
What are the two main types of lakes that are created by glaciers?
Bonus: Which one is more common?
Glacial Scour Lakes & Kettle Lakes
Bonus: Kettle Lakes
500
Sometimes lakes can become hypereutrophic, where the amount of nutrients is too high and it causes algal blooms that decrease water quality and harm the populations of fish and other aquatic life. What is the most common cause of lakes becoming hypereutrophic?
Fertilizer and Wastewater Runoff
500
How do you determine the difference between the littoral zone and the limnetic zone? Where is the boundary between them?
Where the depth is too great for rooted plants to grow on the lake bottom
500
How does lake turnover in the fall and spring benefit the organisms that live in the lake?
Brings oxygen rich water down to the depths and carries nutrients from the sediment back up to the surface.
500
164