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Carbon Cycle in Lakes

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Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Introduction

The lacustrine carbon cycle involves the interactions of gaseous, dissolved, and solid forms of C. Inputs include carbon derived from the atmosphere, surface water, groundwater, regolith, and bedrock. Transformations within the lake system include biotic and abiotic processes occurring in both the presence and absence of oxygen. Losses occur to the atmosphere, to streams and groundwater, and to the sediment underlying the water (Figure 1). Many lacustrine processes have familiar counterparts in marine systems. Lakes are not small oceans however; important aspects of the carbon cycle such as the relationship between dissolved gases and the atmosphere, and the role of organisms in carbonate mineral formation, differ strikingly in lakes as compared with the ocean. Lakes are strongly influenced by processes occurring in their catchments, because of the high ratio of shoreline to open water, while the oceans are affected only locally by continental processes. Large lakes such...

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This is LRC contribution number 12-01.

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Correspondence to Amy Myrbo .

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Myrbo, A. (2012). Carbon Cycle in Lakes. In: Bengtsson, L., Herschy, R.W., Fairbridge, R.W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4410-6_260

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