A United Kingdom Lake Ecological Observatory Network (UKLEON)
Researcher(s): Prof. Susan Waldron, Dr. Leena Vihermaa
Department: School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
Institution: University of Glasgow (and a consortium of Universities led by CEH and funded by NERC Platform of Sensors initiative)
Brief Description:
Our research will produce high frequency meteorology and water chemistry time series for Loch Lomond. A monitoring buoy with the state-of-the-art sensor technology deployed at Loch Lomond, is one of several forming the UKLEON network. SCENE is the base for ourLoch Lomond data collection visits. Previously sampling frequency has been the limiting step in obtaining detailed time series of environmental data but recent development in sensor technology have overcome this. Our high frequency sampling allows us to gain understanding of both seasonal and short term controls of carbon dynamics. The lakes contribute to CO2 exchange, transformation of dissolved carbon and sequestration of particulate carbon in sediments. The latter we will assess through the deployment of sediment traps to assess the quantity and quality of particulate carbon delivery.
The lake carbon dynamics are impacted by catchment-scale and regional climatic drivers. The UKLEON project as a whole includes high frequency monitoring of 11 lakes across UK, thus enabling the assessment of regional coherency of lake responses to climate on sub-seasonal timescales which improves our ability to upscale findings to other lake systems and yields key information for the climate modellers.
Funding Source(s): NERC
Project Status: Ongoing project
Start Date: January 2012
End Date: December 2014
Outputs:
- Understanding of the meteorological controls on the fate of carbon within lakes.
- Webpage of real time meteorological data available for lake users.
- Algal bloom forecasting
Key References:
Blenckner et al. 2007. Large-scale climatic signatures in lakes across Europe: a meta-analysis. Global Change Biology, 13, 1314-1326.
Cole et al. 2007. Plumbing the global carbon cycle: Integrating inland waters into the terrestrial carbon budget. Ecosystems, 10, 171-184.
Eisele et al. 2001. Atmospheric carbon burial in modern lake basins and its significance for the global carbon budget. Global Planetary Change, 30, 167-195.
Tranvik et al. 2009. Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate. Limnology and Oceanography, 54, 2298-2314.
