Lakes and Reservoirs Review

These flashcards cover key concepts and vocabulary related to lakes and reservoirs.

Lentic

A term used to describe slow-flowing or non-flowing open bodies of water, such as lakes.

Permanent Lakes

Lakes that are more commonly found in the northern part of North America.

Intermittent Lakes

Lakes that are more commonly found in the western regions of North America.

Tectonic Lakes

Lakes that are formed due to tectonic activity, often the largest and oldest lakes.

Glacier Lakes

Lakes that are formed in areas where glaciers have sculpted the landscape.

Oxbow Lakes

Lakes formed when a meander of a river is pinched off from the main channel.

Sinkholes

Depressions or holes in the ground caused by the collapse of a surface layer, often creating lakes.

Lentic/Lacustrine Habitats

Ecosystems associated with standing water bodies, such as lakes.

Lake Stratification

The layering of water in lakes, typically with warmer water on top and cooler water below.

Epilimnion

The upper layer of water in a stratified lake, warmest during the summer.

Hypolimnion

The deepest layer of water in a stratified lake, typically cold and denser than the upper layers.

Thermocline

The layer in a stratified lake where the temperature gradient is steepest.

Eutrophic

Describes lakes with high nutrient levels, which leads to increased productivity.

Mixis

Refers to the mixing patterns of water in a lake, which can be monomictic, dimictic, or polymictic.