Limnological characteristics of vertical structure in the lakes of Syowa Oasis, East Antarctica

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We investigated the vertical structure of physicochemical properties in 27 lakes at Skarvsnes and Langhovde, Syowa Oasis, East Antarctica, from December 2003 to February 2004. The lakes were classified into three types based on their origin and geographical characteristics: non-marine relic lakes, marine relic and lotic lakes, and marine relic and lentic lakes. We describe the physicochemical characteristics of each lake type. When the non-marine relic lakes were partly covered with ice, the water column was stratified beneath the ice. In the non-marine relic lakes, during the season with no ice cover, physicochemical parameters were uniform throughout the water column, probably due to frequent vertical mixing induced by wind force and thermal convection within the shallow basins. Similarly, in marine relic and lotic lakes, lake waters appeared to be completely mixed because of a large inflow of meltwater from glaciers and outflow to other lakes and the coastal sea. In the marine relic and lentic lakes, except for Lake Himebati-ike, the lake water was vertically stratified with a strong halocline. In Lakes Suribati-ike and Hunazoko-ike, salinity was very high (up to 20%) due to evapoconcentration. Lake Suribati-ike is a meromictic lake, with a monimolimnion developed below 10 m water depth.