Ice-Covered Lakes Environment

Abstract

Ice-covered lakes form a specific environment. Seasonally ice-covered lakes are common in a wide inhabited latitudinal zone in the northern hemisphere, while perennial lake ice can be found only in some remote polar and mountain locations. The ice cover sets limitations to ecosystems in that light is absent or weak in mid-winter, oxygen is not renewed, and the water temperature is low. Also the renewal of the lake water mass and nutrients is reduced due to reduced inflows from the cold, frozen surroundings. For the society frozen lakes are safety and traffic issues, and they require specific methods for utilization of lakes and near-shore construction efforts.