Winter mixing of Lake Geneva waters becomes clearer
A better understanding of the winter mixing of the waters of Lake Geneva
Keystone-SDA
Vertical mixing is not the only driving force behind the winter renewal of Lake Geneva's deep waters. Strong currents from the Little Lake basin and the Great Lake shoreline can also cause complete mixing, according to a study.
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Keystone-SDA
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Le brassage hivernal des eaux du Léman mieux compris
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Winter mixing of the waters is essential to the maintenance of Lake Geneva’s ecosystems, said the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in a press release on Monday. During exceptionally cold winters, extensive vertical mixing – known as complete mixing – takes place, characterised by a uniform temperature from the surface to the bottom.
This process was traditionally seen as the only way to ensure the renewal of deep waters. But according to the authors of this study published in the journal Water Resources Research, strong currents generated by the two-basin structure, the Great Lake to the east and the Little Lake to the west, can also cause renewal of the deepest layers.
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