Abstract
A simple technique, based on several published studies, is presented to estimate photosynthetically available radiation (PAR: 400–700 nm) at the air/water and ice/water interfaces on freshwater lakes. Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan of the Laurentian Great Lakes before, during, and after ice cover is used as a case study. The technique depends on assigning PAR transmittances to air/water or air/ice surfaces from empirically determined relationships. During ice cover, PAR reaching the water column under the ice exceeded 45% of incoming PAR, on the average, due to the amount of clear ice present on the bay.
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Bolsenga, S.J., Vanderploeg, H.A. Estimating photosynthetically available radiation into open and ice-covered freshwater lakes from surface characteristics; a high transmittance case study. Hydrobiologia 243, 95–104 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00007024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00007024