There are two ways of interpreting the term ‘limnology’. First, the science which studies lakes (its name comes from the Greek limnos which means ‘lake’,’ swamp’ or ‘pond’). Lakes can be classified according to lake basin genesis, the water thermal and chemical regime, the development of floral and faunal associations, relationships with the environment and usefulness for humans. Limnology is a border discipline between geography, hydrology and biology, and is also closely connected with other sciences, from which it borrows research methods. Physical limnology (the geography of lakes) studies lake biocenoses, and biological limnology (the biology of lakes) studies like biocenoses. The father of limnology is the Swiss scientist F.A. Forel, the author of a three-volume work entitled Le Léman: monographie limnologique (1892–1904), which focuses on the geology, physics, chemistry and biology of lakes. He was also author of the first textbook of limnology, Handbuch der Seenkunde:...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsBibliography
Dussart, B., 1966. Limnologie. L'étude des eaux continentals, Gauthier-Villars, Paris.
Forel, F.A., 1892–1904. Le Léman: monographie limnologique,F. Rouge, Lausanne.
Forel, F.A., 1901. Handbuch der Seenkunde: allgemeine Limnologie, Stuttgart.
Forbes, St. A., 1887. The Lake as a Microcosm, Peoria, Historical Society, Illinois.
Gâştescu, P., 1971. Lacurile din România, Ed. Academiei Române, Bucharest.
Gâştescu, P., 1972. Limnologia-ştiinţă de graniţă intre geografie, hidrologie şi biologie, ‘Progresele ştiinţei', No. 3, Bucharest.
Gâştescu, P., 1979. Lacurile Terrei, Ed. Albatros, Bucharest.
Goldman, C.R. and Horne, A. J., 1983. Limnology, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
Cross references
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this entry
Cite this entry
Gâştescu, P. (1998). Limnology: Definition. In: Encyclopedia of Hydrology and Lakes. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht . https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4497-6_146
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4497-6_146
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-412-74060-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4497-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive