Abstract
Lake Onneto has unusually brilliant water colors, such as blue-green, green, and greenish yellow. We investigated the coloration mechanism in this lake by measuring the radiometric water color and inherent optical properties (IOPs), such as attenuation, absorption, and scattering coefficients of color-producing agents (CPAs) in the lake. The hue of the water body was determined using colorimetric analysis. In addition, the radiometric water color of the lake was simulated using bio-optical modeling. Results showed that the hues of the water body were different between two sampling stations (blue-green and green at 3.1 and 5.5 m of bottom depth, respectively). However, the total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations were almost identical between the two stations (0.47 and 0.42 mg l−1, respectively). In addition, the attenuation and absorption coefficients showed that the CPAs in the water body were only inorganic suspended solids (ISS) more than 0.7 μm in diameter, and specific CPAs, such as dissolved mineral ions and aqueous colloids, were not observed in the lake. Simulation of the radiometric water color showed that the radiation around 600 nm of wavelength (yellow region) steeply increased with decreasing bottom depth, indicating that the water colors of Lake Onneto are strongly governed by the light reflection from yellowish bottom sediments.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. Nobuki Takamatsu of Toho University for technical advice on the coloration of water bodies. We are also grateful to Dr. Takehiko Fukushima of University of Tsukuba, Dr. Kohei Kazahaya, Dr. Masaya Suzuki and Mr. Naoki Mita of AIST, Dr. Akira Sawamura and Mr. Masahiro Sasaki of Ashoro Museum of Paleontology, Miss Tomomi Toda of Ministry of the Environment, and Mrs. Chizuko Okazaki of Kanazawa University for their support on the research. Our original manuscript benefited from thoughtful comments and suggestions of Robert P. Bukata of National Water Research Institute and an anonymous reviewer.
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Oyama, Y., Shibahara, A. Simulation of water colors in a shallow acidified lake, Lake Onneto, Japan, using colorimetric analysis and bio-optical modeling. Limnology 10, 47–56 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-009-0260-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-009-0260-1