Light Penetration and Effects on Aquatic Ecosystems

Häder, Donat‐P.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-0409-8_18

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…In addition to zooplankton and fish, the UV and temperature environment in alpine lakes may have important implications for phytoplankton. Sunlight exposure can control the abundance and species distribution of algae 72. While some species are adapted to high light environments, others are limited to exposure that may amount to a few percent of surface irradiance.…”

Section: Implications For Organismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in UV transparency and thermal structure between alpine and subalpine lakes: implications for organisms

Rose

Williamson

Saros

et al. 2009

Photochem Photobiol Sci

103

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Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a globally important abiotic factor influencing ecosystem structure and function in multiple ways. While UV radiation can be damaging to most organisms, several factors act to reduce UV exposure of organisms in aquatic ecosystems, the most important of which is dissolved organic carbon (DOC). In alpine lakes, very low concentrations of DOC and a thinner atmosphere lead to unusually high UV exposure levels. These high UV levels combine with low temperatures to provide a fundamentally different vertical structure to alpine lake ecosystems in comparison to most lowland lakes. Here, we discuss the importance of water temperature and UV transparency in structuring alpine lake ecosystems and the consequences for aquatic organisms that inhabit them. We present transparency data on a global data set of alpine lakes and nearby analogous subalpine lakes for comparison. We also present seasonal transparency data on a suite of alpine and subalpine lakes that demonstrate important differences in UV and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400-700 nm) transparency patterns even within a single region. These data are used to explore factors regulating transparency in alpine lakes, to discuss implications of future environmental change on the structure and function of alpine lakes, and ways in which the UV transparency of these lakes can be used as a sentinel of environmental change.

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Section: Implications For Organismsmentioning

confidence: 99%