Headwater lakes and their influence on downstream discharge

Small headwater lakes are common water features in northern environments. These small lakes are often reported to have an influence on downstream water quality; however, few studies have addressed the underlying hydrology of these systems and how small lakes influence downstream discharge or how far...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Limnology and oceanography letters 2019-08, Vol.4 (4), p.105-112
Main Authors: Leach, Jason A., Laudon, Hjalmar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic ecosystems
Catchment areas
Climate change
Downstream
Hydrology
Influence
Lakes
Oceanografi, hydrologi, vattenresurser
Oceanography, Hydrology, Water Resources
Precipitation
Stream flow
Studies
Water quality
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Summary:Small headwater lakes are common water features in northern environments. These small lakes are often reported to have an influence on downstream water quality; however, few studies have addressed the underlying hydrology of these systems and how small lakes influence downstream discharge or how far downstream these influences persist. We show that catchments with small lakes sustain baseflows compared to catchments without lakes. In addition, small lakes have limited influence on the magnitude and timing of peakflow events, except for immediately downstream of the lake where peakflow hydrographs are characterized by low magnitude and long duration. The relative contribution of lake water to downstream discharge can vary widely in time (between 0% and 75%) and be detectable when lakes make up as little as 0.5% of catchment area. This variability and persistence of lake water in stream networks may have important implications for how we interpret water quality patterns downstream of small lakes.
ISSN:2378-2242
2378-2242
DOI:10.1002/lol2.10110