# Lake
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{{Short description|Large inland body of relatively still water}}
{{Redirect|Lakes|other uses|Lake (disambiguation)|and|Lakes (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{refimprove|date=August 2025}}
[[File:Lake_Idro_Italy_2005-08-16.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[Lake Idro](/source/Lake_Idro), an Italian [prealpine](/source/prealpine) lake of [glacial](/source/glacial) origin situated largely within the [province of Brescia](/source/province_of_Brescia) ([Lombardy](/source/Lombardy)) and in part in [Trentino](/source/Trentino).]]
[[File:Sunset at nordhouse dunes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Sunset over [Lake Michigan](/source/Lake_Michigan) at Nordhouse Dunes in [Manistee National Forest](/source/Manistee_National_Forest), [Michigan](/source/Michigan), United States|alt=Sunset over Lake Michigan at Nordhouse Dunes in Manistee National Forest, Michigan, United States.]]
A '''lake''' is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed [body of water](/source/body_of_water) on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a [basin](/source/depression_(geology)) or interconnected basins surrounded by [dry land](/source/dry_land).[{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/science/lake|title=Lake|date=18 May 2023 |publisher=[Encyclopaedia Britannica](/source/Encyclopaedia_Britannica)}}] Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from the [ocean](/source/ocean), although they may be connected with the ocean by [rivers](/source/rivers). Lakes, like other bodies of [water](/source/water), are part of the [water cycle](/source/water_cycle), the processes by which water moves around the Earth. Most lakes are [fresh water](/source/fresh_water) and account for almost all the world's surface freshwater, but some are [salt lake](/source/salt_lake)s with [salinities](/source/salinities) even higher than that of [seawater](/source/seawater). Lakes vary significantly in surface area and volume of water, but in total cover approximately 2.5 X 106 km2 (less than 2%) of the Earth's surface.[{{cite web|title=Lake|publisher=Dictionary.com |access-date=25 June 2008|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lake}}] Lakes are also distinct from [lagoon](/source/lagoon)s, which are generally shallow [tidal pool](/source/tidal_pool)s dammed by [sandbar](/source/sandbar)s or other material at [coast](/source/coast)al regions of oceans or large lakes. Most lakes are fed by [springs](/source/Spring_(hydrology)), and both fed and drained by [creek](/source/stream)s and [river](/source/river)s, but some lakes are [endorheic](/source/endorheic) without any outflow, while [volcanic lake](/source/volcanic_lake)s are filled directly by [precipitation](/source/precipitation) [runoff](/source/surface_runoff)s and do not have any inflow streams.[{{Cite journal|title=Comparative biodiversity of rivers, streams, ditches and ponds in an agricultural landscape in Southern England|url=http://www.seaturtle.org/PDF/Williams_2003_BiolConserv.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912013604/http://www.seaturtle.org/PDF/Williams_2003_BiolConserv.pdf|archive-date=12 September 2011|year=2004|journal=Biological Conservation|pages=329–341|volume=115|issue=2|last1=Williams|first1=Penny|last2=Whitfield|first2=Mericia|last3=Biggs|first3=Jeremy|last4=Bray|first4=Simon|last5=Fox|first5=Gill|last6=Nicolet|first6=Pascale|last7=Sear|first7=David|access-date=16 June 2009|doi=10.1016/S0006-3207(03)00153-8|bibcode=2004BCons.115..329W }}]{{rp|331}}[{{Cite journal|title=The monitoring of ecological quality and the classification of standing waters in temperate regions|year=1996|journal=Biological Reviews|pages=301–339|volume=71|issue=2|last1=Moss |first1=Brian|last2=Johnes |first2=Penny|last3=Phillips |first3=Geoffrey|doi=10.1111/j.1469-185X.1996.tb00750.x|s2cid=83831589}}] to {{convert|8|ha}}.[{{cite web|url=http://www.ramsar.org/ris/key_ris_e.htm |title=Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands (RIS) |publisher=Ramsar Convention on Wetlands |website=ramsar.org |date=22 January 2009 |access-date=2 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304200455/http://www.ramsar.org/ris/key_ris_e.htm |archive-date=4 March 2009 }}] Pioneering animal ecologist [Charles Elton](/source/Charles_Sutherland_Elton) regarded lakes as waterbodies of {{convert|40|ha}} or more.[{{Cite journal|title=The Ecological Survey of Animal Communities: With a Practical System of Classifying Habitats by Structural Characters|jstor=2256872|year=1954|volume=42|journal=The Journal of Ecology|pages=460–496|last1=Elton |first1=Charles Sutherland |author-link1=Charles Sutherland Elton|last2=Miller |first2=Richard S.|doi=10.2307/2256872|issue=2|bibcode=1954JEcol..42..460E }}] The term ''lake'' is also used to describe a feature such as [Lake Eyre](/source/Lake_Eyre), which is a dry basin most of the time but may become filled under seasonal conditions of heavy rainfall. In common usage, many lakes bear names ending with the word ''pond'', and a lesser number of names ending with ''lake'' are, in quasi-technical fact, ponds. One textbook illustrates this point with the following: "In Newfoundland, for example, almost every lake is called a pond, whereas in Wisconsin, almost every pond is called a lake."[{{cite book|author=Thomas V. Cech|title=Principles of Water Resources: History, Development, Management, and Policy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A2nJCPPixGQC&pg=PA83|year=2009|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-13631-7|page=83}}]
One [hydrology](/source/hydrology) book proposes to define the term "lake" as a body of water with the following five characteristics:[{{cite book|editor=Pertti Heinonen|title=Hydrological and Limnological Aspects of Lake Monitoring|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=USGtfTkgSfwC&pg=PA4|year=2000|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-51113-8|pages=4–5|chapter=Hydrology of Lakes|first1=Esko|last1=Kuusisto|first2=Veli|last2=Hyvärinen}}]
# It partially or totally fills one or several basins connected by [strait](/source/strait)s;
# It has essentially the same water level in all parts (except for relatively short-lived variations caused by wind, varying ice cover, large inflows, etc.);
# It does not have regular intrusion of [seawater](/source/seawater);
# A considerable portion of the [sediment](/source/sediment) suspended in the water is captured by the basins (for this to happen they need to have a sufficiently small inflow-to-volume ratio);
# The area measured at the mean water level exceeds an arbitrarily chosen threshold (for instance, one [hectare](/source/hectare)).
With the exception of criterion 3, the others have been accepted or elaborated upon by other hydrology publications.[{{cite book|author=Shahin, M. |title=Hydrology and Water Resources of Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZmdYFTlcSgEC&pg=PA427|year=2002|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4020-0866-5|page=427}}][{{cite journal|title=Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology 2004|journal = International Journal of Ecohydrology et Hydrobiology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cY6IN_Suku0C&pg=PA381|year=2004|publisher=Index Copernicus|page=381|issn=1642-3593}}]
== Distribution ==
[[File:Eyre lake map of the shape and depth (bathymetry) 2020.jpg|thumb|[Lake Eyre](/source/Lake_Eyre)'s shape and depth as a gradient map]]
The majority of lakes on Earth are [freshwater](/source/fresh_water), and most lie in the [Northern Hemisphere](/source/Northern_Hemisphere) at higher [latitude](/source/latitude)s.[{{Cite journal|last1=Verpoorter|first1=Charles|last2=Kutser|first2=Tiit|last3=Seekell|first3=David A.|last4=Tranvik|first4=Lars J.|date=2014|title=A global inventory of lakes based on high-resolution satellite imagery|journal=Geophysical Research Letters|language=en|volume=41|issue=18|pages=6396–6402|doi=10.1002/2014GL060641|bibcode=2014GeoRL..41.6396V|s2cid=129573857 |issn=1944-8007|doi-access=free|hdl=20.500.12210/62355|hdl-access=free}}] [Canada](/source/Canada), with a [deranged drainage system](/source/Drainage_system_(geomorphology)), has an estimated 31,752 lakes larger than {{convert|3|km²}} in surface area.[{{cite web|url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/lakes.html/#numberoflakes |title=The Atlas of Canada: Lakes |date=2009-08-12 |publisher=[Natural Resources Canada](/source/Natural_Resources_Canada) |website=atlas.nrcan.gc.ca |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415102959/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/lakes.html |archive-date=15 April 2012 }}] The total number of lakes in Canada is unknown but is estimated to be at least 2 million.[{{cite web|url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/auth/english/maps/environment/hydrology/watershed1/1 |title=The Atlas of Canada: Physical Components of Watersheds |date=2009-03-04 |publisher=[Natural Resources Canada](/source/Natural_Resources_Canada) |website=atlas.nrcan.gc.ca |access-date=17 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529204613/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/auth/english/maps/environment/hydrology/watershed1/1 |archive-date=29 May 2010}}] [Finland](/source/Finland) has 168,000 lakes of {{convert|500|m²}} in area, or larger, of which 57,000 are large ({{convert|10000|m²}} or larger).[{{cite web |url=https://www.maanmittauslaitos.fi/ajankohtaista/suomi-57-000-168-000-jarven-maa |title=Suomi, 57 000 – 168 000 järven maa |date=12 June 2019 |access-date=26 April 2023 |website=maanmittauslaitos.fi |publisher=[National Land Survey of Finland](/source/National_Land_Survey_of_Finland) |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526073223/https://www.maanmittauslaitos.fi/ajankohtaista/suomi-57-000-168-000-jarven-maa }}]
Most lakes have at least one natural outflow in the form of a [river](/source/river) or [stream](/source/stream), which maintain a lake's average level by allowing the drainage of excess water.[{{Cite journal|last1=Seekell|first1=D.|last2=Cael|first2=B.|last3=Lindmark|first3=E.|last4=Byström|first4=P.|date=2021|title=The Fractal Scaling Relationship for River Inlets to Lakes|url=https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2021GL093366|journal=Geophysical Research Letters|language=en|volume=48|issue=9|article-number=e2021GL093366|doi=10.1029/2021GL093366|bibcode=2021GeoRL..4893366S|s2cid=235508504|issn=1944-8007}}][{{Cite journal|last=Mark|first=David M.|date=1983|title=On the Composition of Drainage Networks Containing Lakes: Statistical Distribution of Lake In-Degrees|journal=Geographical Analysis|language=en|volume=15|issue=2|pages=97–106|doi=10.1111/j.1538-4632.1983.tb00772.x|issn=1538-4632|doi-access=free|bibcode=1983GeoAn..15...97M }}] Some lakes do not have a natural outflow and lose water solely by evaporation or underground seepage, or both. These are termed [endorheic](/source/endorheic) lakes.
Many lakes are artificial and are constructed for [hydroelectric](/source/hydro-electric) power generation, aesthetic purposes, [recreation](/source/recreation)al purposes, industrial use, [agricultural](/source/agricultural) use, or domestic [water supply](/source/water_supply).
The number of lakes on Earth is undetermined because most lakes and ponds are very small and do not appear on maps or [satellite imagery](/source/satellite_imagery).[{{Cite journal|last1=Seekell|first1=David A.|last2=Pace|first2=Michael L.|date=2011|title=Does the Pareto distribution adequately describe the size-distribution of lakes?|journal=Limnology and Oceanography|language=en|volume=56|issue=1|pages=350–356|doi=10.4319/lo.2011.56.1.0350|bibcode=2011LimOc..56..350S|s2cid=14160949 |issn=1939-5590|doi-access=free}}][{{Cite journal|last1=Cael|first1=B. B.|last2=Seekell|first2=D. A.|date=2016-07-08|title=The size-distribution of Earth's lakes|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=6|issue=1|article-number=29633|doi=10.1038/srep29633|pmid=27388607|issn=2045-2322|pmc=4937396|bibcode=2016NatSR...629633C}}][{{Cite journal|last1=McDonald|first1=Cory P.|last2=Rover|first2=Jennifer A.|last3=Stets|first3=Edward G.|last4=Striegl|first4=Robert G.|date=2012|title=The regional abundance and size distribution of lakes and reservoirs in the United States and implications for estimates of global lake extent|journal=Limnology and Oceanography|language=en|volume=57|issue=2|pages=597–606|doi=10.4319/lo.2012.57.2.0597|bibcode=2012LimOc..57..597M|issn=1939-5590|doi-access=free}}] Despite this uncertainty, a large number of studies agree that small ponds are much more abundant than large lakes. For example, one widely cited study estimated that Earth has 304 million lakes and ponds, and that 91% of these are {{convert|1|ha}} or less in area.[{{cite journal|last1=Downing|first1=J.A.|last2=Prairie|first2=Y. T.|last3=Cole|first3=J.J.|last4=Duarte|first4=C.M.|last5=Tranvik|first5=L.J.|last6=Striegl|first6=R.G.|last7=McDowell|first7=W.H.|last8=Kortelainen|first8=P.|last9=Caraco|first9=N.F.|last10=Melack|first10=J.M.|title=The global abundance and size distribution of lakes, ponds, and impoundments|journal=Limnology and Oceanography|volume=51|issue=5|year=2006|pages=2388–2397|issn=0024-3590|doi=10.4319/lo.2006.51.5.2388|bibcode=2006LimOc..51.2388D|doi-access=free}}] Despite the overwhelming abundance of ponds, almost all of Earth's lake water is found in fewer than 100 large lakes; this is because lake volume [scales](/source/Power_law) superlinearly with lake area.[{{Cite journal|last1=Cael|first1=B. B.|last2=Heathcote|first2=A. J.|last3=Seekell|first3=D. A.|date=2017|title=The volume and mean depth of Earth's lakes|url=https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/2016GL071378|journal=Geophysical Research Letters|language=en|volume=44|issue=1|pages=209–218|doi=10.1002/2016GL071378|bibcode=2017GeoRL..44..209C|issn=1944-8007|hdl=1912/8822|s2cid=132520745|hdl-access=free|access-date=24 August 2021|archive-date=24 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824114754/https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/2016GL071378}}]
Extraterrestrial lakes exist on the moon [Titan](/source/Titan_(moon)), which orbits the planet [Saturn](/source/Saturn).[{{cite journal|last1=Stofan|first1=Ellen R.|last2=Elachi|first2=C.|last3=Lunine|first3=Jonathan I.|last4=Lorenz|first4=Ralph D.|last5=Stiles|first5=B.|last6=Mitchell|first6=K. L.|last7=Ostro|first7=S.|last8=Soderblom|first8=L.|last9=Wood|first9=C.|last10=Zebker|first10=Howard|last11=Wall|first11=S.|date=January 2007|title=The lakes of Titan|journal=Nature|volume=445|issue=7123|pages=61–64|bibcode=2007Natur.445...61S|doi=10.1038/nature05438|pmid=17203056|last28=Johnson|last33=Posa|last29=Kelleher|first29=K.|last30=Muhleman|first30=D.|last31=Paillou|first31=Philippe|last32=Picardi|first32=Giovanni|last34=Roth|first33=F.|first34=L.|last35=Seu|first35=R.|last36=Shaffer|first36=S.|last37=Vetrella|first37=S.|last38=West|first38=R.|first28=W. T. K.|first22=P.|first27=S.|first18=Y.|last12=Janssen|first12=M.|last13=Kirk|first13=R.|last14=Lopes|first14=R.|last15=Paganelli|first15=F.|last16=Radebaugh|first16=J.|last17=Wye|first17=L.|last18=Anderson|last19=Allison|last27=Hensley|first19=M.|last20=Boehmer|first20=R.|last21=Callahan|first21=P.|last22=Encrenaz|last23=Flamini|first23=Enrico|last24=Francescetti|first24=G.|last25=Gim|first25=Y.|last26=Hamilton|first26=G.|s2cid=4370622|url=https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20150408-080531263 }}] The shape of lakes on Titan is very similar to those on Earth.[{{Cite journal|date=2010-10-01|title=Constraints on Titan's topography through fractal analysis of shorelines|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0019103510001806|journal=Icarus|language=en|volume=209|issue=2|pages=723–737|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2010.04.023|issn=0019-1035|last1=Sharma|first1=Priyanka|last2=Byrne|first2=Shane|bibcode=2010Icar..209..723S|url-access=subscription}}][{{Cite journal|last1=Sharma|first1=Priyanka|last2=Byrne|first2=Shane|date=2011|title=Comparison of Titan's north polar lakes with terrestrial analogs|journal=Geophysical Research Letters|language=en|volume=38|issue=24|pages=n/a|doi=10.1029/2011GL049577|bibcode=2011GeoRL..3824203S|issn=1944-8007|doi-access=free}}] Lakes were formerly present on the surface of Mars, but are now [dry lake bed](/source/dry_lake_bed)s.[{{Cite book|last1=Cabrol|first1=Nathalie A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2hNsJTfUsmMC&q=lakes+on+mars&pg=PA1|title=Lakes on Mars|last2=Grin|first2=Edmond A.|date=2010-09-15|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=978-0-08-093162-3|language=en}}][{{Cite journal|date=2008-11-01|title=Valley network-fed, open-basin lakes on Mars: Distribution and implications for Noachian surface and subsurface hydrology|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0019103508002728|journal=Icarus|language=en|volume=198|issue=1|pages=37–56|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2008.06.016|issn=0019-1035|last1=Fassett|first1=Caleb I.|last2=Head|first2=James W.|bibcode=2008Icar..198...37F|url-access=subscription}}]
== Types ==
[[File:Castiglione del Lago, Lago Trasimeno.jpg|thumb|right|[Lake Trasimeno](/source/Lake_Trasimeno), Italy, has volcanic origin]]
In 1957, [G. Evelyn Hutchinson](/source/G._Evelyn_Hutchinson) published a monograph titled ''A Treatise on Limnology'',[{{cite book|last=Hutchinson |first=G. E. |author-link=G. Evelyn Hutchinson |year=1957 |title=A Treatise on Limnology. Vol.1, Geography, Physics, and Chemistry |publisher=Wiley |location=New York}}] which is regarded as a landmark discussion and classification of all major lake types, their origin, morphometric characteristics, and distribution.[{{cite book|last=Cohen |first=A. S. |year=2003 |title=Paleolimnology: The History and Evolution of Lake Systems |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-19-513353-0}}][{{cite book|last1=Håkanson |first1=Lars |last2=Jansson |first2=Matts |year=1983 |title=Principles of Lake Sedimentology |edition=1st |publisher=Springer |location=New York |isbn=978-3-540-12645-4}}][{{cite book|last1=Håkanson |first1=Lars |series=Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series |editor1-first=Lars |editor1-last=Bengtsson |editor2-first=Reginald W. |editor2-last=Herschy |editor3-first=Rhodes W. |editor3-last=Fairbridge |year=2012 |contribution=Lakes on Earth, Different Types |title=Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs |pages=471–472 |publisher=Springer |location=Dordrecht |isbn=978-1-4020-5617-8 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4020-4410-6_202}}] Hutchinson presented in his publication a comprehensive analysis of the origin of lakes and proposed what is a widely accepted classification of lakes according to their origin. This classification recognizes 11 major lake types that are divided into 76 subtypes. The 11 major lake types are:[{{cite book|editor-last=Johnson |editor-first=Daniel M. |author1=Petersen, Richard R. |author2=Lycan, D. Richard |author3=Sweet, James W. |author4= Neuhaus, Mark E. |author5=Schaedel, Andrew L. |display-authors=0 |title=Atlas of Oregon Lakes|publisher=Oregon State University Press|location=Corvallis|year=1985|pages=96–97|isbn=978-0-87071-343-9}}] Among all lake types, volcanic crater lakes most closely approximate a circular shape.[{{cite journal|doi=10.1029/2008JG000730|title=Arctic epishelf lakes as sentinel ecosystems: Past, present and future|year=2008|last1=Veillette|first1=Julie|last2=Mueller|first2=Derek R.|last3=Antoniades|first3=Dermot|last4=Vincent|first4=Warwick F.|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences|volume=113|issue=G4|pages=G04014|bibcode=2008JGRG..113.4014V|doi-access=free}}]
===Fluvial lakes===
Fluvial (or riverine)[{{Cite web|url=http://www.biol.canterbury.ac.nz/ferg/pdfs/Freshwaters%20of%20New%20Zealand/Optimised/FoNZ_2004_19_Geomorphology_web.pdf|title=Geomorphology and Hydrology of Lakes|last=Mosley|first=Paul|access-date=25 October 2017|archive-date=12 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412022438/http://www.biol.canterbury.ac.nz/ferg/pdfs/Freshwaters%20of%20New%20Zealand/Optimised/FoNZ_2004_19_Geomorphology_web.pdf}}] lakes are lakes produced by running water. These lakes include [plunge pool lakes](/source/Plunge_pool), fluviatile dams and meander lakes.
==== Oxbow lakes ====
[[File:Nowitna river.jpg|thumb|The [Nowitna River](/source/Nowitna_River) in Alaska. Two oxbow lakes – a short one at the bottom of the picture and a longer, more curved one at the middle-right.]]
The most common type of fluvial lake is a crescent-shaped lake called an ''[oxbow lake](/source/oxbow_lake)'' due to the distinctive curved shape. They can form in river valleys as a result of meandering. The slow-moving river forms a sinuous shape as the outer side of bends are eroded away more rapidly than the inner side. Eventually a horseshoe bend is formed and the river cuts through the narrow neck. This new passage then forms the main passage for the river and the ends of the bend become silted up, thus forming a bow-shaped lake.[{{cite book|last=Schoenherr|first=Allan A.|title=A Natural History of California: Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D1kkDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA485|year=2017|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-96455-6|page=485}}]
==== Lateral lakes ====
These form where sediment from the main river blocks a tributary, usually in the form of a [levee](/source/Levee).[{{Cite book |title=The Middle Paraná River: Limnology of a Subtropical Wetland |first=Edmundo C. |last=Drago |editor-first1=Martín H. |editor-last1=Iriondo |editor-first2=Juan César |editor-last2=Paggi |editor-first3=María Julieta |editor-last3=Parma |date=21 November 2007 |publisher=Springer |pages=83–122 |via=Springer Link |doi=10.1007/978-3-540-70624-3_4}}]
===Solution lakes===
A solution lake is a lake occupying a basin formed by surface dissolution of bedrock. In areas underlain by soluble bedrock, its solution by precipitation and percolating water commonly produce cavities. These cavities frequently collapse to form [sinkhole](/source/sinkhole)s that form part of the local [karst topography](/source/karst_topography). Where [groundwater](/source/groundwater) lies near the grounds surface, a sinkhole will be filled water as a solution lake.[Neuendorf, K.K.E., Mehl Jr., J.P., and Jackson, J.A. (2005). ''Glossary of Geology,'' 5th revised and enlarged ed. Berlin: Springer. Approx. {{ISBN|3-540-27951-2}}.] Limestone caves often contain pools of standing water, which are known as ''[underground lake](/source/underground_lake)s.'' Classic examples of solution lakes are abundant in the karst regions at the [Dalmatian coast](/source/Dalmatia) of [Croatia](/source/Croatia) and within large parts of [Florida](/source/Florida).[{{cite book|last1=Myers |first1=W. Bradley |last2=Hamilton |first2=Warren |chapter=Deformation Accompanying the Hebgen Lake Earthquake of August 17, 1959 |title=Geological Survey Professional Paper 435 – The Hebgen Lake, Montana Earthquake of August 17, 1959 |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0435/report.pdf |date=1964 |page=55 |publisher=[United States Geological Survey](/source/United_States_Geological_Survey) |doi=10.3133/pp435}}]
Most landslide lakes disappear in the first few months after formation, but a landslide dam can burst suddenly at a later stage and threaten the population downstream when the lake water drains out. In 1911, an earthquake triggered a landslide that blocked a deep valley in the [Pamir Mountains](/source/Pamir_Mountains) region of [Tajikistan](/source/Tajikistan), forming the [Sarez Lake](/source/Sarez_Lake). The [Usoi Dam](/source/Usoi_Dam) at the base of the valley has remained in place for more than 100 years but the terrain below the lake is in danger of a catastrophic flood if the dam were to fail during a future earthquake.[{{cite book|last1=Schneider |first1=Jean F. |last2=Gruber |first2=Fabian E. |last3=Mergili |first3=Martin |title=Landslide Science and Practice |pages=57–64 |article=Recent Cases and Geomorphic Evidence of Landslide-Dammed Lakes and Related Hazards in the Mountains of Central Asia |article-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265481083 |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-31319-6_9 |editor1-last=Margottini |editor1-first=Claudio |editor2-last=Canuti |editor2-first=Paolo |editor3-last=Sassa |editor3-first=Kyoji |year=2013 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-642-31318-9}}]
[Tal-y-llyn Lake](/source/Tal-y-llyn_Lake) in north [Wales](/source/Wales) is a landslide lake dating back to the last glaciation in Wales some 20,000 years ago.{{citation needed|date=May 2026}}
===Aeolian lakes===
Aeolian lakes are produced by [wind action](/source/Aeolian_processes). These lakes are found mainly in [arid](/source/arid) environments, although some aeolian lakes are [relict](/source/Relict_(geology)) landforms indicative of arid [paleoclimate](/source/paleoclimate)s. Aeolian lakes consist of lake basins dammed by wind-blown sand; interdunal lakes that lie between well-oriented [sand dune](/source/sand_dune)s; and [deflation basins](/source/Blowout_(geomorphology)) formed by wind action under previously arid paleoenvironments. [Moses Lake](/source/Moses_Lake) in [Washington](/source/Washington_(state)), United States, was originally a shallow natural lake and an example of a lake basin dammed by wind-blown sand.[{{cite journal|last1=Wang |first1=Zhen-Ting |last2=Tian-Yuan |first2=Chen |last3=Liu |first3=Si-Wen |last4=Lai |first4=Zhong-Ping |title=Aeolian origin of interdune lakes in the Badain Jaran Desert, China |date=March 2016 |journal=Arabian Journal of Geosciences |volume=9 |issue=3 |page=190 |doi=10.1007/s12517-015-2062-6|bibcode=2016ArJG....9..190W |s2cid=131665131 }}]
===Shoreline lakes===
Shoreline lakes are generally lakes created by blockage of estuaries or by the uneven accretion of beach ridges by longshore and other currents. They include maritime coastal lakes, ordinarily in drowned estuaries; lakes enclosed by two tombolos or spits connecting an island to the mainland; lakes cut off from larger lakes by a bar; or lakes divided by the meeting of two spits.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/environment/natural-resources/water/lakes/shallow-lakes-of-the-waikato-region/peat-lakes/|title=Peat lakes|website=Waikato Regional Council|access-date=24 April 2018}}]
===Artificial lakes===
{{see also|Reservoir|water storage|retention basin}}
[[File:Lausitzer_Seenland_2008.jpg|thumb|[Lusatian Lake District](/source/Lusatian_Lake_District), Germany, Europe's largest artificial lake district.]]
Artificial lakes or anthropogenic lakes are large waterbodies created by [human activity](/source/human_activity). They can be formed by the intentional [damming](/source/damming) of rivers and streams, rerouting of water to inundate a previously dry [basin](/source/depression_(geology)), or the deliberate filling of abandoned [excavation pit](/source/open-pit_mine)s by either [precipitation](/source/precipitation) [runoff](/source/surface_runoff), [ground water](/source/ground_water), or a combination of both.[{{cite journal|last1=Rzętała |first1=Mariusz |last2=Jagus |first2=Andrzej |title=New lake district in Europe: Origin and hydrochemical characteristics |date=May 2011 |journal=Water and Environment Journal |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=108–117 |doi=10.1111/j.1747-6593.2011.00269.x|s2cid=129487110 }}] Same for the Lusatian Lake District, Germany. In India, [Sudarshana Lake](/source/Sudarshana_Lake) is a historical artificial lake located in the semi-arid region of Girnar, Gujarat, originally constructed during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya.[{{Cite web |title=Sudarshana Lake {{!}} lake, India {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sudarshana-Lake |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |quote=…the dam and conduits at Sudarshana, a man-made lake on the Kathiawar Peninsula.}}]
===Meteorite (extraterrestrial impact) lakes===
{{main|Impact crater lake}}
Meteorite lakes, also known as ''crater lakes'' (not to be confused with volcanic crater lakes), are created by catastrophic [impacts](/source/Impact_event) with the Earth by extraterrestrial objects (either [meteorite](/source/meteorite)s or [asteroid](/source/asteroid)s).[{{cite journal|doi=10.1130/B26474.1|title=Geology of Lonar Crater, India|year=2010|last1=Maloof|first1=A. C.|last2=Stewart|first2=S. T.|last3=Weiss|first3=B. P.|last4=Soule|first4=S. A.|last5=Swanson-Hysell|first5=N. L.|last6=Louzada|first6=K. L.|last7=Garrick-Bethell|first7=I.|last8=Poussart|first8=P. M.|journal=Geological Society of America Bulletin|volume=122|issue=1–2|pages=109–126|bibcode=2010GSAB..122..109M}}] [Lake El'gygytgyn](/source/Lake_El'gygytgyn) in northeast Siberia,[{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.03.019|title=Impact processes, permafrost dynamics, and climate and environmental variability in the terrestrial Arctic as inferred from the unique 3.6 Myr record of Lake El'gygytgyn, Far East Russia – A review|year=2016|last1=Wennrich|first1=Volker|last2=Andreev|first2=Andrei A.|last3=Tarasov|first3=Pavel E.|last4=Fedorov|first4=Grigory|last5=Zhao|first5=Wenwei|last6=Gebhardt|first6=Catalina A.|last7=Meyer-Jacob|first7=Carsten|last8=Snyder|first8=Jeffrey A.|last9=Nowaczyk|first9=Norbert R.|last10=Schwamborn|first10=Georg|last11=Chapligin|first11=Bernhard|last12=Anderson|first12=Patricia M.|last13=Lozhkin|first13=Anatoly V.|last14=Minyuk|first14=Pavel S.|last15=Koeberl|first15=Christian|last16=Melles|first16=Martin|journal=Quaternary Science Reviews|volume=147|pages=221–244|bibcode=2016QSRv..147..221W|doi-access=free}}] and the [Pingualuit crater](/source/Pingualuit_crater) lake in Quebec, Canada.[{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.07.023|title=Deglacial and postglacial evolution of the Pingualuit Crater Lake basin, northern Québec (Canada)|year=2015|last1=Desiage|first1=Pierre-Arnaud|last2=Lajeunesse|first2=Patrick|last3=St-Onge|first3=Guillaume|last4=Normandeau|first4=Alexandre|last5=Ledoux|first5=Grégoire|last6=Guyard|first6=Hervé|last7=Pienitz|first7=Reinhard|journal=Geomorphology|volume=248|pages=327–343|bibcode=2015Geomo.248..327D}}] As in the cases of El'gygytgyn and Pingualuit, meteorite lakes can contain unique and scientifically valuable sedimentary deposits associated with long records of paleoclimatic changes.[Forel, F.A., 1901. ''Handbuch der Seenkunde. Allgemeine Limnologie.'' J. von Engelhorn, Stuttgart, Germany.] also referred to as the "Father of limnology", was the first scientist to classify lakes according to their thermal stratification.[{{cite journal|author=Loffler, H.|year= 1957|title= Die klimatischen Typen des holomiktischen Sees|journal= Mitteilungen der Geographischen Gesellschaft|volume= 99|pages=35–44}}] His system of classification was later modified and improved upon by [Hutchinson](/source/G._Evelyn_Hutchinson) and Löffler.[{{cite journal|pmid=16589823|year=1956|last1=Hutchinson|first1=G. E.|author1-link=G. Evelyn Hutchinson|last2=Löffler|first2=H.|title=The Thermal Classification of Lakes|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|volume=42|issue=2|pages=84–6|doi=10.1073/pnas.42.2.84|pmc=528218|bibcode=1956PNAS...42...84H|doi-access=free}}] As the [density](/source/density) of water varies with temperature, with a maximum at +4 degrees Celsius, thermal stratification is an important physical characteristic of a lake that controls the [fauna](/source/fauna) and [flora](/source/flora), sedimentation, chemistry, and other aspects of individual lakes. First, the colder, denser water typically forms a layer near the bottom, which is called the ''[hypolimnion](/source/hypolimnion)''. Second, normally overlying the hypolimnion is a transition zone known as the ''[metalimnion](/source/metalimnion)''. Finally, overlying the metalimnion is a surface layer of warmer water with a lower density, called the ''[epilimnion](/source/epilimnion)''. This typical stratification sequence can vary widely, depending on the specific lake or the time of year, or a combination of both.[Poehls, D.J. and Smith, G.J. eds. (2009). ''Encyclopedic dictionary of hydrogeology.'' Academic Press. p. 517. {{ISBN|978-0-12-558690-0}}] They often fill [polje](/source/polje)s.[{{Cite news|url=http://www.vlada.si/en/about_slovenia/geography/waters_in_slovenia/lakes_aquatic_havens/|title=Lakes – Aquatic Havens|access-date=25 October 2017|publisher=vlada.si|archive-date=26 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026053730/http://www.vlada.si/en/about_slovenia/geography/waters_in_slovenia/lakes_aquatic_havens/}}]
* [Dry lake](/source/Dry_lake) is a popular name for an ephemeral lake that contains water only intermediately at irregular and infrequent intervals.[Last, W.M. and Smol, J.P. (2001). ''Tracking environmental change using lake sediments. Volume 1: basin analysis, coring, and chronological techniques.'' Springer Science & Business Media.]
* Perennial lake is a lake that has water in its basin throughout the year and is not subject to extreme fluctuations in level.[Gangstad, E.O., (1979). [https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA067425 ''Glossary of Biolimnological Terms'']. Washington, DC, United States Army Corps of Engineers.]
* Playa lake is a typically shallow, intermittent lake that covers or occupies a playa either in wet seasons or in especially wet years but subsequently drying up in an arid or semiarid region.[Theal, G.M., 1877. ''Compendium of South African history and geography, 3rd.'' Institution Press, Lovedale, South Africa.]
=== By water chemistry ===
Lakes may be informally classified and named according to the general chemistry of their water mass. Using this classification method, the lake types include:
* An ''acid lake'' contains water with a below-neutral [pH](/source/pH) of less than 6.5. A lake is considered to be highly acidic if its pH drops below 5.5, leading to biological consequences. Such lakes include: acidic ''pit lakes'' occupying abandoned mines and excavations; naturally acidic lakes of [igneous](/source/Igneous_rock) and [metamorphic](/source/Metamorphic_rock) landscapes; [peat bogs](/source/Raised_bog) in northern regions; ''crater lakes'' of active and dormant volcanoes; and lakes acidified by [acid rain](/source/acid_rain).[Geller, W. et al. (eds.) (2013). ''Acidic Pit Lakes, Environmental Science and Engineering'', Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg][{{cite journal|pmid=17816597|year=1981|last1=Patrick|first1=R.|last2=Binetti|first2=V. P.|last3=Halterman|first3=S. G.|title=Acid lakes from natural and anthropogenic causes|journal=Science|volume=211|issue=4481|pages=446–8|doi=10.1126/science.211.4481.446|bibcode=1981Sci...211..446P}}][Rouwet, D. et al. (eds.) (2015). ''Volcanic Lakes, Advances in Volcanology,'' Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg]
* A ''salt lake'', also known as a ''saline lake'' or ''brine lake'', is an inland body of water situated in an arid or semiarid region, with no outlet to the sea, containing a high concentration of dissolved neutral salts (principally [sodium chloride](/source/sodium_chloride)). Examples include the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the Dead Sea in southwestern Asia.[{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2006.07.004|title=Stability of lava lakes|year=2006|last1=Witham|first1=Fred|last2=Llewellin|first2=Edward W.|journal=Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research|volume=158|issue=3–4|pages=321–332|bibcode=2006JVGR..158..321W|url=https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1544583 }}]
* [Hydrocarbon lakes](/source/Lakes_of_Titan) are bodies of liquid [ethane](/source/ethane) and [methane](/source/methane) that occupy depressions on the surface of [Titan](/source/Titan_(moon)). They were detected by the Cassini–Huygens space probe.[{{Cite journal |doi=10.1002/2013GL058618 |title=The bathymetry of a Titan sea |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |volume=41 |issue=5 |pages=1432–1437 |year=2014 |last1=Mastrogiuseppe |first1=Marco |last2=Poggiali |first2=Valerio |last3=Hayes |first3=Alexander |last4=Lorenz |first4=Ralph |last5=Lunine |first5=Jonathan I. |last6=Picardi |first6=Giovanni |last7=Seu |first7=Roberto| last8=Flamini| first8=Enrico |last9=Mitri |first9=Giuseppe |last10=Notarnicola |first10=Claudia |last11=Paillou |first11=Philippe |last12=Zebker |first12=Howard |bibcode=2014GeoRL..41.1432M |s2cid=134356087 |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00975219/file/2013GL058618.pdf }}]
== Paleolakes ==
A '''paleolake''' (also '''palaeolake''') is a lake that existed in the past when hydrological conditions were different.[Goudie, A. (2008). "Arid Climates and Indicators". Gornitz, V. ed., ''Encyclopedia of paleoclimatology and ancient environments''. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 45–51. {{ISBN|978-1-4020-4411-3}}]
There are two types of paleolake:
* A [former lake](/source/%3ACategory%3AFormer_lakes) is a paleolake that no longer exists. Such lakes include [prehistoric](/source/prehistoric) lakes and those that have permanently dried up, often as the result of either [evaporation](/source/evaporation) or human intervention. An example of a former lake is [Owens Lake](/source/Owens_Lake) in California, United States. Former lakes are a common feature of the [Basin and Range](/source/Basin_and_Range_Province) area of southwestern North America.[{{cite book |last1=Manivanan |first1=R. |title=Water Quality Modeling: Rivers, Streams, and Estuaries |date=2008 |publisher=New India Pub. Agency |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-89422-93-6}}]
* {{Anchor|Shrunken_lake}}A [shrunken lake](/source/shrunken_lake) is a paleolake that still exists but has considerably decreased in size over geological time. An example of a shrunken lake is [Lake Agassiz](/source/Lake_Agassiz), which once covered much of central North America. Two notable remnants of Lake Agassiz are [Lake Winnipeg](/source/Lake_Winnipeg) and [Lake Winnipegosis](/source/Lake_Winnipegosis).[{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/0031-0182(90)90113-L|title=Quaternary palaeolakes in the evolution of semidesert basins, with special emphasis on Lake Bonneville and the Great Basin, U.S.A|year=1990|last1=Currey|first1=Donald R.|journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology|volume=76|issue=3–4|pages=189–214|bibcode=1990PPP....76..189C}}] In addition, the organic-rich deposits of pre-Quaternary paleolakes are important either for the thick deposits of [oil shale](/source/oil_shale) and [shale gas](/source/shale_gas) contained in them, or as source rocks of [petroleum](/source/petroleum) and [natural gas](/source/natural_gas). Although of significantly less economic importance, strata deposited along the shore of paleolakes sometimes contain [coal seam](/source/coal_seam)s.[Gierlowski-Kordesch, E. and Kelts, K.R. eds. (2000). ''Lake Basins Through Space and Time''. AAPG Studies in Geology 46 (No. 46). The American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, OK {{ISBN|0-89181-052-8}}][{{cite journal|doi=10.1023/A:1023270324800|year=2003|last1=Schnurrenberger|first1=Douglas|s2cid=16039547|title=Classification of lacustrine sediments based on sedimentary components|journal=Journal of Paleolimnology|volume=29|issue=2|pages=141–154|bibcode=2003JPall..29..141S}}]
== Characteristics ==
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2020}}
[[File:China Hangzhou Westlake-8.jpg|thumb|Lakes can have significant cultural importance. The [West Lake](/source/West_Lake) of [Hangzhou](/source/Hangzhou) has inspired romantic poets throughout the ages, and has been an important influence on garden designs in China, Japan and Korea.[[https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/767 Ancient Chinese cultural landscape, the West Lake of Hangzhou, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List]. UNESCO (24 June 2011)]]]
[[File:Lake mapourika NZ.jpeg|thumb|[Lake Mapourika](/source/Lake_Mapourika), New Zealand]]
[[File:九寨溝-五花海 Jiuzhaigou Five Flower Lake.jpg|thumb|Five Flower Lake in [Jiuzhaigou](/source/Jiuzhaigou), [Sichuan](/source/Sichuan)]]
Lakes have numerous features in addition to lake type, such as [drainage basin](/source/drainage_basin) (also known as catchment area), inflow and outflow, [nutrient](/source/nutrient) content, [dissolved oxygen](/source/dissolved_oxygen), [pollutants](/source/water_pollution), [pH](/source/pH), and [sediment](/source/sediment)ation.
Changes in the level of a lake are controlled by the difference between the input and output compared to the total volume of the lake. Significant input sources are precipitation onto the lake, runoff carried by streams and channels from the lake's [catchment](/source/drainage_basin) area, [groundwater](/source/groundwater) channels and aquifers, and artificial sources from outside the catchment area. Output sources are evaporation from the lake, surface and groundwater flows, and any extraction of lake water by humans. As climate conditions and human water requirements vary, these will create fluctuations in the lake level.
Lakes can be also [categorized](/source/Trophic_state_index) on the basis of their richness in nutrients, which typically affect plant growth. Nutrient-poor lakes are said to be ''[oligotroph](/source/oligotroph)ic'' and are generally clear, having a low concentration of plant life. ''[Mesotrophic lake](/source/Mesotrophic_lake)s'' have good clarity and an average level of nutrients. ''[Eutrophic](/source/Eutrophic)'' lakes are enriched with nutrients, resulting in good plant growth and possible [algal blooms](/source/algal_blooms). ''[Hypertrophic](/source/eutrophication)'' lakes are bodies of water that have been excessively enriched with nutrients. These lakes typically have poor clarity and are subject to devastating algal blooms. Lakes typically reach this condition due to human activities, such as heavy use of fertilizers in the lake catchment area. Such lakes are of little use to humans and have a poor [ecosystem](/source/ecosystem) due to decreased dissolved oxygen.
Due to the unusual relationship between water's [temperature](/source/temperature) and its [density](/source/density), lakes form layers called [thermocline](/source/thermocline)s, layers of drastically varying temperature relative to depth. Fresh water is most dense at about 4 degrees Celsius (39.2 °F) at sea level. When the temperature of the water at the surface of a lake reaches the same temperature as deeper water, as it does during the cooler months in [temperate](/source/temperate) climates, the water in the lake can mix, bringing oxygen-starved water up from the depths and bringing oxygen down to decomposing sediments. Deep temperate lakes can maintain a reservoir of cold water year-round, which allows some cities to tap that reservoir for [deep lake water cooling](/source/deep_lake_water_cooling).
[[File:Yaylyu.JPG|thumb|[Lake Teletskoye](/source/Lake_Teletskoye), [Siberia](/source/Siberia)]]
Since the surface water of deep [tropical](/source/tropical) lakes never reaches the temperature of maximum density, there is no process that makes the water mix. The deeper layer becomes oxygen starved and can become saturated with carbon dioxide, or other gases such as [sulfur dioxide](/source/sulfur_dioxide) if there is even a trace of [volcanic activity](/source/volcano). Exceptional events, such as earthquakes or landslides, can cause mixing which rapidly brings the deep layers up to the surface and release a vast cloud of gas which lay trapped in solution in the colder water at the bottom of the lake. This is called a [limnic eruption](/source/limnic_eruption). An example is [the disaster at Lake Nyos](/source/Lake_Nyos) in [Cameroon](/source/Cameroon). The amount of gas that can be dissolved in water is directly related to pressure. As deep water surfaces, the pressure drops and a vast amount of gas comes out of solution. Under these circumstances carbon dioxide is hazardous because it is heavier than air and displaces it, so it may flow down a river valley to human settlements and cause mass [asphyxiation](/source/asphyxiation).
The material at the bottom of a lake, or ''lake bed'', may be composed of a wide variety of [inorganic](/source/inorganic)s, such as [silt](/source/silt) or [sand](/source/sand), and [organic material](/source/organic_material), such as decaying plant or animal matter. The composition of the lake bed has a significant impact on the flora and fauna found within the lake's environs by contributing to the amounts and the types of nutrients available.
A paired (black and white) layer of the varved lake sediments correspond to a year. During winter, when organisms die, carbon is deposited down, resulting to a black layer. At the same year, during summer, only few organic materials are deposited, resulting to a white layer at the lake bed. These are commonly used to track past paleontological events.
Natural lakes provide a [microcosm](/source/Macrocosm_and_microcosm) of living and nonliving elements that are relatively independent of their surrounding environments. Therefore, lake organisms can often be studied in isolation from the lake's surroundings.[{{cite web|last=Forbes |first=Stephen A. |author-link=Stephen Alfred Forbes |url=http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/biogeog/FORB1887.htm |title=The Lake as a Microcosm |date=1887 |website=people.wku.edu |publisher=Western Kentucky University.}} (First printed in ''Bulletin of the Peoria Scientific Association.'' '''87''' (1887): 77–87.)]
== Limnology ==
{{Main|Limnology|Lake ecosystem|Lake aeration}}
[[File:Lura Liqeni i Lulëve.JPG|thumb|[Lura Lakes](/source/Lura_Lakes) are the glacial lakes of the [Lurë Mountains](/source/Lur%C3%AB_National_Park), [Albania](/source/Albania)]]
[Limnology](/source/Limnology) is the study of inland bodies of water and related ecosystems. Limnology divides lakes into three zones: the ''[littoral zone](/source/littoral_zone)'', a sloped area close to land; the ''[photic](/source/photic_zone)'' or ''open-water zone'', where sunlight is abundant; and the deep-water ''[profundal](/source/profundal_zone)'' or ''[benthic zone](/source/benthic_zone)'', where little sunlight can reach. The depth to which light can penetrate depends on the [turbidity](/source/turbidity) of the water, which is determined by the density and size of suspended [particles](/source/Particle_(ecology)). A particle will be in [suspension](/source/Suspension_(chemistry)) if its weight is less than the random turbidity [force](/source/force)s acting upon it. These particles can be sedimentary or [biological](/source/Biotic_material) in origin (including [algae](/source/algae) and [detritus](/source/detritus)) and are responsible for the color of the water. Decaying plant matter, for instance, may account for a yellow or brown color, while algae may cause a greenish coloration. In very shallow water bodies, iron oxides make the water reddish brown. Bottom-dwelling [detritivorous](/source/detritivorous) fish stir the mud in search of food and can be the cause of turbid waters. [Piscivorous](/source/Piscivorous) fish contribute to turbidity by eating plant-eating ([plankton](/source/plankton)ivorous) fish, thus increasing the amount of algae (see aquatic [trophic cascade](/source/trophic_cascade)).
The light depth or transparency is measured using a ''[Secchi disk](/source/Secchi_disk)'', a 20-cm (8 in) disk with alternating white and black [quadrants](/source/Circular_sector). The depth at which the disk is no longer visible is the ''Secchi depth'', a measure of transparency. The Secchi disk is commonly used to test for eutrophication. For a detailed look at these processes, see [lentic ecosystems](/source/lentic_ecosystems).
A lake moderates the surrounding region's temperature and [climate](/source/climate) because water has a very high [specific heat capacity](/source/specific_heat_capacity) (4,186 J·kg−1·K−1). In the daytime a lake can cool the land beside it with local winds, resulting in a [sea breeze](/source/sea_breeze); in the night it can warm it with a [land breeze](/source/land_breeze).
=== Biological properties ===
thumb|upright=1.5|Cross sectional diagram of limnological lake zones (left) and algal community types (right)
Lake zones:
* ''Epilittoral'': The zone that is entirely above the lake's normal water level and never submerged by lake water
* ''Littoral'': The zone that encompasses the small area above the normal water level (which is sometimes submerged when the lake's water level increases), reaching to the deepest part of the lake that still allows for submerged [macrophytic](/source/Aquatic_plant) growth
* ''Littoriprofundal'': Transition zone commonly aligned with stratified lakes' metalimnions – too deep for macrophytes but includes [photosynthetic](/source/photosynthetic) algae and bacteria
* ''Profundal'': Sedimentary zone containing no vegetation
Algal community types:
* ''Epipelic'': Algae that grow on sediments
* ''Epilithic'': Algae that grow on rocks
* ''Epipsammic'': Algae that grow on (or within) sand
* ''Epiphytic'': Algae that grow on macrophytes
* ''Epizooic'': Algae that grow on living animals
* ''Metaphyton'': Algae present in the littoral zone, not in a state of suspension nor attached to a substratum (such as a macrophyte)[{{cite book |last1=Wetzel |first1=Robert |title=Limnology: Lake and river ecosystems |date=2001 |publisher=San Diego: Academic Press |isbn=978-0-12-744760-5}}]
== Disappearance ==
[[File:Lake Badwater, Death Valley, 2005.jpg|thumb|[Ephemeral](/source/Ephemeral) 'Lake Badwater', a lake only noted after heavy winter and spring rainfall, [Badwater Basin](/source/Badwater_Basin), [Death Valley National Park](/source/Death_Valley_National_Park), 9 February 2005. [Landsat 5](/source/Landsat_5) satellite photo]]
[[File:Badwater tm5 2007046.jpg|thumb|[Badwater Basin](/source/Badwater_Basin) [dry lake](/source/dry_lake), 15 February 2007. [Landsat 5](/source/Landsat_5) satellite photo]]
The lake may be infilled with deposited sediment and gradually become a [wetland](/source/wetland) such as a [swamp](/source/swamp) or [marsh](/source/marsh). Large water plants, typically [reeds](/source/Phragmites), accelerate this closing process significantly because they partially decompose to form peat soils that fill the shallows. Conversely, peat soils in a marsh can naturally burn and reverse this process to recreate a shallow lake resulting in a dynamic equilibrium between marsh and lake.[[http://www.aquahabitat.com/ponds.lakes.ed.html Ponds and Lakes. Lessons from Biologists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514193128/http://www.aquahabitat.com/ponds.lakes.ed.html |date=14 May 2008 }}. aquahabitat.com] This is significant since wildfire has been largely suppressed in the developed world over the past century. This has artificially converted many shallow lakes into emergent marshes. Turbid lakes and lakes with many plant-eating fish tend to disappear more slowly. A "disappearing" lake (barely noticeable on a human timescale) typically has extensive plant mats at the water's edge. These become a new habitat for other plants, like [peat moss](/source/Sphagnum) when conditions are right, and animals, many of which are very rare. Gradually, the lake closes and young [peat](/source/peat) may form, forming a [fen](/source/fen). In lowland river valleys where a river can [meander](/source/meander), the presence of peat is explained by the infilling of historical [oxbow lake](/source/oxbow_lake)s. In the final stages of [succession](/source/Ecological_succession), trees can grow in, eventually turning the wetland into a forest.
{{anchor|Intermittent lake|Ephemeral lake|Seasonal lake|How lakes disappear}}
Some lakes can disappear seasonally. These are called '''intermittent lakes''', '''ephemeral lakes''', or '''seasonal lakes''' and can be found in [karstic terrain](/source/Karst). A prime example of an intermittent lake is [Lake Cerknica](/source/Lake_Cerknica) in [Slovenia](/source/Slovenia) or [Lag Prau Pulte](/source/Lag_Prau_Pulte) in [Graubünden](/source/Graub%C3%BCnden). Other intermittent lakes are only the result of above-average precipitation in a closed, or [endorheic basin](/source/endorheic_basin), usually filling dry lake beds. This can occur in some of the driest places on earth, like [Death Valley](/source/Death_Valley). This occurred in the spring of 2005, after unusually heavy rains.[Chadwick, Alex (3 March 2005), "[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4521310 Wet Winter Brings Life to Death Valley]". NPR.] The lake did not last into the summer, and was quickly evaporated (see photos to right). A more commonly filled lake of this type is [Sevier Lake](/source/Sevier_Lake) of west-central [Utah](/source/Utah).
Sometimes a lake will disappear quickly. On 3 June 2005, in [Nizhny Novgorod Oblast](/source/Nizhny_Novgorod_Oblast), Russia, a lake called [Lake Beloye](/source/Lake_Beloye_(Nizhny_Novgorod_Oblast)) vanished in a matter of minutes. News sources reported that government officials theorized that this strange phenomenon may have been caused by a shift in the soil underneath the lake that allowed its water to drain through channels leading to the [Oka River](/source/Oka_River).[{{Cite web|url=https://mtstandard.com/news/national/lakes-disappearing-act-stuns-russian-town/article_fd9a4431-008f-5e3c-a9c3-5460d511c2b1.html|title=Lake's disappearing act stuns Russian town|author=Kim Murphy (c) 2005, Los Angeles Times |date=June 3, 2005|website=The Montana Standard}}]
The presence of ground permafrost is important to the persistence of some lakes. Thawing permafrost may explain the shrinking or disappearance of hundreds of large Arctic lakes across western Siberia. The idea here is that rising air and soil temperatures thaw permafrost, allowing the lakes to drain away into the ground.[{{cite journal|doi=10.1126/science.1108142|title=Disappearing Arctic Lakes|year=2005|last1=Smith|first1=L. C.|last2=Sheng|first2=Y.|last3=MacDonald|first3=G. M.|last4=Hinzman|first4=L. D.|journal=Science|volume=308|issue=5727|page=1429|pmid=15933192|s2cid=32069335}}]
Some lakes disappear because of human development factors. The shrinking [Aral Sea](/source/Aral_Sea) is described as being "murdered" by the diversion for irrigation of the rivers feeding it.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} Between 1990 and 2020, more than half of the world's large lakes decreased in size, in part due to [climate change](/source/climate_change).[{{Cite web |date=2023-05-18 |title=More Than Half of World's Large Lakes Are Drying Up, Study Finds |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/more-than-half-of-world-s-large-lakes-are-drying-up-study-finds-/7099984.html |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=VOA |language=en}}]
{{See also|Prairie Lake}}
== Extraterrestrial lakes ==
{{further|Lakes and rivers of Titan}}
[[File:PIA10008 Seas and Lakes on Titan.jpg|thumb|[Titan's](/source/Titan_(moon)) north polar hydrocarbon [seas and lakes](/source/Lakes_of_Titan), as seen in a false-color ''[Cassini](/source/Cassini%E2%80%93Huygens)'' [synthetic aperture radar](/source/synthetic_aperture_radar) mosaic]]
Only one [astronomical body](/source/astronomical_body) other than Earth is known to harbor large lakes: Saturn's largest moon, [Titan](/source/Titan_(moon)). Photographs and [spectroscopic analysis](/source/spectroscopic_analysis) by the ''[Cassini–Huygens](/source/Cassini%E2%80%93Huygens)'' [spacecraft](/source/spacecraft) show liquid ethane on the surface, which is thought to be mixed with liquid methane. The largest lake on Titan is [Kraken Mare](/source/Kraken_Mare) which, at an estimated 400,000 km2,[{{cite conference|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/252677198 |title=Characterizing the Stability of Titan's Northern Lakes Using Image Analysis and Mass Transfer Modeling |date=March 2010 |author1=Wasiak, F. C. |author2=Hames, H. |author3=Chevrier, V. F. |author4=Blackburn, D. G. |conference=Lunar and Planetary Science Conference}}] is roughly five times the size of [Lake Superior](/source/Lake_Superior) (~80,000 km2) and nearly the size of all five [Great Lakes](/source/Great_Lakes) of North America combined.[{{cite web|url=https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/01/astronomers-estimate-titans-largest-sea-1000-feet-deep |title=Astronomers estimate Titan's largest sea is 1,000 feet deep |date=20 January 2021 |last=Friedlander |first=Blaine |website=Cornell Chronicle |access-date=4 January 2022}}] The second largest Titanean lake, [Ligeia Mare](/source/Ligeia_Mare), is almost twice the size of Lake Superior, at an estimated 150,000 km2.[{{cite web|url=https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2013/06/Ligeia_Mare |title=Ligeia Mare |date=17 June 2013 |publisher=[European Space Agency](/source/European_Space_Agency) |website=esa.int |access-date=5 January 2022}}]
Jupiter's large moon [Io](/source/Io_(moon)) is volcanically active, leading to the accumulation of [sulfur](/source/sulfur) deposits on the surface. Some photographs taken during the [''Galileo''](/source/Galileo_spacecraft) mission appear to show lakes of liquid sulfur in volcanic caldera, though these are more analogous to lakes of lava than of water on Earth.[
{{cite web
|url = http://www.nineplanets.org/io.html
|website=nineplanets.org
|access-date=7 August 2008
|title=The Nine Planets Solar System Tour – Io
}}
]
The planet [Mars](/source/Mars) has only one confirmed lake which is underground and near the south pole.[{{Cite news|url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-statement-on-possible-subsurface-lake-near-martian-south-pole/|title=NASA Statement on Possible Subsurface Lake near Martian South Pole|last=Greicius|first=Tony|date=25 July 2018|work=NASA|access-date=15 October 2018|archive-date=26 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626062529/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-statement-on-possible-subsurface-lake-near-martian-south-pole/}}] Although the surface of Mars is too cold and has too little [atmospheric pressure](/source/atmospheric_pressure) to permit permanent surface water, geologic evidence appears to confirm that [ancient lake](/source/ancient_lake)s once formed on the surface.[{{cite web|url=https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/temporary-lakes-once-filled-and-refilled-across-mars-surface |title=Temporary Lakes Once Filled and Refilled Across Mars' Surface |last=Gohd |first=Chelsea |date=5 November 2018 |magazine=[Discover magazine](/source/Discover_(magazine)) |publisher=Kalmbach Media |access-date=13 January 2022}}][{{cite journal |author1=Matsubara, Yo |author2=Howard, Alan D. |author3=Drummond, Sarah A. |title=Hydrology of early Mars: Lake basins |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research |volume=116 |issue=E04001 |pages=E04001 |date=1 April 2011 |doi=10.1029/2010JE003739 |bibcode=2011JGRE..116.4001M |doi-access=free}}]
There are dark basaltic plains on the [Moon](/source/Moon), similar to [lunar maria](/source/lunar_mare) but smaller, which are called ''lacus'' (singular ''lacus'', [Latin](/source/Latin) for "lake") because they were thought by early astronomers to be lakes of water.
== Notable lakes on Earth ==
{{See also|List of lakes}}
[[File:Caspian Sea from orbit.jpg|thumb|The [Caspian Sea](/source/Caspian_Sea) is either the world's largest lake or a full-fledged [inland sea](/source/inland_sea)[The [Caspian Sea](/source/Caspian_Sea) is generally regarded by geographers, biologists and [limnologist](/source/limnologist)s as a huge inland [salt lake](/source/salt_lake). However, the Caspian's large size means that for some purposes it is better modeled as a sea. Geologically, the Caspian, [Black](/source/Black_Sea) and [Mediterranean](/source/Mediterranean_Sea) seas are remnants of the ancient [Tethys Ocean](/source/Tethys_Ocean). Politically, the distinction between a sea and a lake may affect how the Caspian is treated by international law.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}]]]
[[File:Roundtanglelake.JPG|thumb|right|Round Tangle Lake, one of the [Tangle Lakes](/source/Tangle_Lakes), 2,864 feet (873 m) above sea level in [interior Alaska](/source/interior_Alaska)]]
* The '''largest lake by surface area''' is [Caspian Sea](/source/Caspian_Sea), which despite its name is considered a lake from the point of view of geography.[{{cite web |last1=Sen Nag |first1=Oishimaya |title=Is The Caspian Sea a Sea Or A Lake? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/is-the-caspian-a-sea-or-a-lake.html |website=worldatlas.com |publisher=WorldAtlas |access-date=15 December 2020}}] Its surface area is 143,000 sq. mi./371,000 km2.
** The second largest lake by surface area, and the '''largest freshwater lake by surface area''', is [Lake Michigan-Huron](/source/Lake_Michigan-Huron), which is hydrologically a single lake. Its surface area is 45,300 sq. mi./117,400 km2. For those who consider Lake Michigan-Huron to be separate lakes, and Caspian Sea to be a [sea](/source/sea), [Lake Superior](/source/Lake_Superior) would be the largest lake at 82,100 km2 (31,700 square miles)
* [Lake Baikal](/source/Lake_Baikal) is the '''deepest''' lake in the world, located in [Siberia](/source/Siberia), with a bottom at {{convert|1637|m}}. Its '''mean depth''' is also the greatest in the world ({{convert|749|m}}). It is also the world's '''largest freshwater lake by volume''' ({{convert|23600|km³}}, but much smaller than the Caspian Sea at {{convert|78200|km³}}), and the second longest (about {{convert|630|km}} from tip to tip).
* The world's '''[oldest lake](/source/ancient_lake)''' is [Lake Baikal](/source/Lake_Baikal), followed by [Lake Tanganyika](/source/Lake_Tanganyika) in [Tanzania](/source/Tanzania). [Lake Maracaibo](/source/Lake_Maracaibo) is considered by some to be the second-oldest lake on Earth, but since it lies at [sea level](/source/sea_level) and nowadays is a contiguous body of water with the sea, others consider that it has turned into a small [bay](/source/bay).
* The '''longest''' lake is [Lake Tanganyika](/source/Lake_Tanganyika), with a length of about {{convert|660|km}} (measured along the lake's center line).
It is also the third largest by volume, the second oldest, and the second deepest ({{convert|1470|m}}) in the world, after Lake Baikal.
* The world's '''highest''' lake, if size is not a criterion, may be the crater lake of [Ojos del Salado](/source/Ojos_del_Salado), at {{Convert|6390|m|ft|0}}.[[http://www.andes.org.uk/peak-info-6000/ojos-del-salado-info.asp Ojos del Salado 6893m]. andes.org.uk]
** The highest large (greater than {{convert|250|km2|disp=or}}) lake in the world is the {{convert|290|km2|adj=on}}{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} [Pumoyong Tso](/source/Lake_Puma_Yumco) (Pumuoyong Tso{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}), in the [Tibet Autonomous Region](/source/Tibet_Autonomous_Region) of China, at {{coord|28|34|N|90|24|E}}, {{convert|5,018|m}} above sea level.[{{cite web|url=http://ramsar.wetlands.org/Portals/15/China2.pdf|title=China wetlands|page=77|publisher=Ramsar Wetlands International|access-date=6 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617214140/http://ramsar.wetlands.org/Portals/15/China2.pdf|archive-date=17 June 2013}}]
** The world's '''highest''' commercially navigable lake is [Lake Titicaca](/source/Lake_Titicaca) in [Peru](/source/Peru) and [Bolivia](/source/Bolivia) at {{Convert|3812|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. It is also the largest lake in South America.
* The world's '''lowest''' lake is the [Dead Sea](/source/Dead_Sea), bordered by [Jordan](/source/Jordan) to the east and [Israel](/source/Israel) and [Palestine](/source/Palestine) to the west, at {{convert|418|m}} below sea level. It is also one of the lakes with highest [salt](/source/salt) concentration.
* [Lake Michigan–Huron](/source/Lake_Michigan%E2%80%93Huron) has the '''longest lake coastline''' in the world: about {{convert|5250|km}}, excluding the coastline of its many inner islands. Even if it is considered two lakes, [Lake Huron](/source/Lake_Huron) alone would still have the longest coastline in the world at {{convert|2980|km}}.
* The largest island in a lake is [Manitoulin Island](/source/Manitoulin_Island) in [Lake Michigan-Huron](/source/Lake_Michigan%E2%80%93Huron), with a surface area of {{convert|2766|km²}}. [Lake Manitou](/source/Lake_Manitou), on Manitoulin Island, is the largest lake on an island in a lake.
* The largest lake on an island is [Nettilling Lake](/source/Nettilling_Lake) on [Baffin Island](/source/Baffin_Island), with an area of {{convert|5542|km²}} and a maximum length of {{convert|123|km}}.[[http://www.elbruz.org/islands/Islands%20and%20Lakes.htm Largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island]. elbruz.org]
* The largest lake in the world that drains naturally in two directions is [Wollaston Lake](/source/Wollaston_Lake).
* [Lake Toba](/source/Lake_Toba) on the island of [Sumatra](/source/Sumatra) is in what is probably the largest resurgent [caldera](/source/caldera) on Earth.
* The largest lake completely within the boundaries of a single city is [Lake Wanapitei](/source/Lake_Wanapitei) in the city of [Sudbury](/source/Greater_Sudbury), [Ontario](/source/Ontario), Canada. Before the current city boundaries came into effect in 2001, this status was held by [Lake Ramsey](/source/Lake_Ramsey), also in Sudbury.
* [Lake Enriquillo](/source/Lake_Enriquillo) in [Dominican Republic](/source/Dominican_Republic) is the only saltwater lake in the world inhabited by [crocodile](/source/crocodile)s.
* [Lake Bernard](/source/Lake_Bernard), Ontario, Canada, claims to be the largest lake in the world with no islands.
* [Lake Saimaa](/source/Lake_Saimaa) in both [South Savo](/source/South_Savo) and [South Karelia](/source/South_Karelia), Finland, forms the much larger Saimaa basin, which have more shorelines per unit of area than anywhere else in the world, with the total length being nearly {{convert|15000|km}}.[{{cite web|last=Hämäläinen|first=Arto|title=Saimaa – Finland's largest lake|publisher=Virtual Finland|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214225230/http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25710&LAN=ENG|date=November 2001|archive-date=14 February 2008|url=http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25710&LAN=ENG}}]
* The largest lake in one country is [Lake Michigan](/source/Lake_Michigan), in the United States. However, it is sometimes considered part of Lake Michigan-Huron, making the record go to [Great Bear Lake](/source/Great_Bear_Lake), [Northwest Territories](/source/Northwest_Territories), in [Canada](/source/Canada), the largest lake within one jurisdiction.
* The '''largest lake on an island in a lake on an island''' is Crater Lake on Vulcano Island in [Lake Taal](/source/Lake_Taal) on the island of [Luzon](/source/Luzon), The [Philippines](/source/Philippines).
* The '''northernmost named lake''' on Earth is [Upper Dumbell Lake](/source/Upper_Dumbell_Lake) in the [Qikiqtaaluk Region](/source/Qikiqtaaluk_Region) of [Nunavut](/source/Nunavut), [Canada](/source/Canada) at a latitude of 82°28'N. It is {{convert|5.2|km}} southwest of [Alert](/source/Alert%2C_Nunavut), the northernmost settlement in the world. There are also several small lakes north of Upper Dumbell Lake, but they are all unnamed and only appear on very detailed maps.
* There are only 20 [ancient lake](/source/ancient_lake)s {{En dash}} those over a million years old
=== Largest by continent ===
The largest lakes (surface area) by [continent](/source/continent) are:
* '''Australia''' – [Lake Eyre](/source/Lake_Eyre) (salt lake)
* '''Africa''' – [Lake Victoria](/source/Lake_Victoria), also the third-largest freshwater lake on Earth. It is one of the [Great Lakes of Africa](/source/Great_Lakes_of_Africa).
* '''Antarctica''' – [Lake Vostok](/source/Lake_Vostok) (subglacial)
* '''Asia''' – [Lake Baikal](/source/Lake_Baikal) (if the [Caspian Sea](/source/Caspian_Sea) is considered a lake, it is the largest in Eurasia, but is divided between the two geographic continents)
* '''Oceania''' – [Lake Eyre](/source/Lake_Eyre) when filled; the largest permanent (and freshwater) lake in Oceania is [Lake Taupō](/source/Lake_Taup%C5%8D).
* '''Europe''' – [Lake Ladoga](/source/Lake_Ladoga), followed by [Lake Onega](/source/Lake_Onega), both in northwestern Russia.
* '''North America''' – [Lake Michigan–Huron](/source/Lake_Michigan%E2%80%93Huron), which is hydrologically a single lake. However, lakes [Huron](/source/Lake_Huron) and [Michigan](/source/Lake_Michigan) are usually considered separate lakes, in which case [Lake Superior](/source/Lake_Superior) would be the largest.