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Redox Stratification and Salinization of Three Kettle Lakes in Southwest Michigan, USA

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Abstract

Redox stratification, especially hypolimnetic anoxia resulting from eutrophication, and salinization resulting from application of salts for road deicing is investigated in three kettle lakes in southwest Michigan. Two of the lakes (Asylum and Woods Lakes) are located in urban Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the third (Brewster Lake) is located in rural Hastings, Michigan. In summer, the water columns of all three lakes are distinctly redox stratified, with anoxic hypolimnia and significant accumulation of reduced solutes (e.g., Mn(II), Fe(II), ammonia) in the lake bottom waters. Extremely elevated conductivity, chloride, sodium, and potassium levels are observed in the urban Asylum and Woods Lakes compared to the rural Brewster Lake, presumably due to runoff of road salt deicers applied in the surrounding watershed. These significant changes in water quality are of concern because they may detrimentally impact lake mixing, biodiversity, and ecosystem function in the urban lakes.

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Acknowledgments

Funding support from the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute URGE program, the National Science Foundation CAREER program (NSF-EAR 0348435), and the National Science Foundation Geosciences Education program (NSF-GEO 0807578) is gratefully acknowledged. Logistical support from PCCI staff, especially Matt Dykstra, is much appreciated. We also wish to thank Thomas Reich, Michelle Barger, Sara Snyder, and Greg Sawatzki for their assistance with laboratory and field work. We also appreciate comments from the editor and two anonymous reviewers, which greatly improved this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA

    Carla M. Koretsky, Andrew MacLeod, Ryan J. Sibert & Christine Snyder

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  1. Carla M. Koretsky
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  2. Andrew MacLeod
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  3. Ryan J. Sibert
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Correspondence to Carla M. Koretsky.

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Koretsky, C.M., MacLeod, A., Sibert, R.J. et al. Redox Stratification and Salinization of Three Kettle Lakes in Southwest Michigan, USA. Water Air Soil Pollut 223, 1415–1427 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-011-0954-y

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