Physical, biological and chemical characteristics of Canadian and Danish lakes during summer

  1. Winter temperatures differ markedly on the Canadian prairies compared with Denmark. Between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2002, average weekly and monthly temperatures did not drop below 0 °C in the vicinity of Silkeborg, Denmark. Over this same time, weekly average temperatures near Calgary, Alberta, Canada, often dropped below -10 °C for 3-5 weeks and the average monthly temperature was below 0 °C for 2-4 months. Accordingly, winter ice conditions in shallow lakes in Canada and Denmark differed considerably.
  2. To assess the implications of winter climate for lake biotic structure and function we compared a number of variables that describe the chemistry and biology of shallow Canadian and Danish lakes that had been chosen to have similar morphometries.
  3. The Danish lakes had a fourfold higher ratio of chlorophyll-a: total phosphorus (TP). Zooplankton : phytoplankton carbon was related to TP and fish abundance in Danish lakes but not in Canadian lakes. There was no significant difference in the ratio log total zooplankton biomass : log TP and the Canadian lakes had a significantly higher proportion of cladocerans that were Daphnia. These differences correspond well with the fact that the Danish lakes have more abundant and diverse fish communities than the Canadian lakes.
  4. Our results suggest that severe Canadian winters lead to anoxia under ice and more depauperate fish communities, and stronger zooplankton control on phytoplankton in shallow prairie lakes compared with shallow Danish lakes. If climate change leads to warmer winters and a shorter duration of ice cover, we predict that shallow Canadian prairie lakes will experience increased survivorship of planktivores and stronger control of zooplankton. This, in turn, might decrease zooplankton control on phytoplankton, leading to 'greener' lakes on the Canadian prairies.

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Cite this as

Jackson, Leland J, Lauridsen, Torben L, Søndergaard, M, Jeppesen, Erik (2007). Dataset: Physical, biological and chemical characteristics of Canadian and Danish lakes during summer. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.811583

DOI retrieved: 2007

Additional Info

Field Value
Imported on November 29, 2024
Last update November 29, 2024
License CC-BY-3.0
Source https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.811583
Author Jackson, Leland J
Given Name Leland J
Family Name Jackson
More Authors
Lauridsen, Torben L
Søndergaard, M
Jeppesen, Erik
Source Creation 2007
Publication Year 2007
Resource Type application/zip - filename: Jackson_2007
Subject Areas
Name: LakesRivers

Related Identifiers
Title: A comparison of shallow Danish and Canadian lakes and implications of climate change
Identifier: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2007.01809.x
Type: DOI
Relation: IsSupplementTo
Year: 2007
Source: Freshwater Biology
Authors: Jackson Leland J , Lauridsen Torben L , Søndergaard M , Jeppesen Erik .