Limnology and Lake Morphometry Vocabulary (UNIT 2: PART ONE)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to lake zones, stratification, morphometry, hydrology, and aquatic succession.

Photic zone

The upper layer of a lake or body of water where sunlight reaches.

Littoral zone

The area of a lake's photic zone that extends only to the depth where sunlight reaches the bottom.

Limnetic zone

The open water area of a lake's photic zone where sunlight reaches, but light does not extend to the bottom.

Profundal zone

The aphotic zone in lakes, consisting of all the deep water located below the level where sunlight reaches.

Benthic zone

The bottom layer of a body of water that interacts with littoral and profundal zones, but not the limnetic zone.

Epilimnion

The top layer of a stratified lake during summer, characterized by warm, well-mixed water.

Hypolimnion

The cold, bottom layer of a stratified lake.

Metalimnion

The middle layer of a stratified lake that encompasses the thermocline where rapid temperature change occurs.

Bathymetry

The underwater topography representing changes in elevation and water depth across a basin.

Shoreline convolution

The degree of irregularity or roundness of a shoreline, where higher convolution increases shoreline development and habitat diversity.

Residence time

The time required for water to move through an ecosystem, calculated by comparing water inflow versus outflow.

Retention time

The duration that nutrients, contaminants, or other materials remain inside a lake ecosystem before moving through or recovering.

Aquatic succession

A series of natural processes through which a surface water body gradually accumulates sediment and organic matter, eventually transitioning into a wetland or forest.

Positive feedback loop

A self-reinforcing ecological process where an event triggers further changes that cause the initial action to continue.

Negative feedback loop

A feedback process where an event counteracts or halts the initial impact or change in an ecosystem.