Patterns and variation of littoral habitat size among lakes

Seekell, D.; Cael, B.B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1317-5718; Norman, S.; Byström, P.. 2021 Patterns and variation of littoral habitat size among lakes. Geophysical Research Letters, 48 (20). https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL095046

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Abstract/Summary

The littoral zone varies in size among lakes from ∼3% to 100% of lake surface area. In this paper, we derive a simple theoretical scaling relationship that explains this variation, and test this theory using bathymetric data across the size spectra of freshwater lakes (surface area = 0.01–82,103 km2, maximum depth = 2–1,741 m). Littoral area primarily reflects the ratio of the maximum depth of photosynthesis to maximum lake depth. However, lakes that are similar in these characteristics can have different relative littoral areas because of variation in basin shape. Hypsometric (area-elevation) models that describe these patterns for individual lakes can be generalized among lakes to accurately predict the relative size of littoral habitat when there is incomplete bathymetric information. Collectively, our results provide simple rules for understanding patterns of littoral habitat size at the regional and global scales.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL095046
Programmes:	NOC Programmes > Ocean BioGeosciences
ISSN:	0094-8276
Date made live:	09 Mar 2022 16:25 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/532159

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