Abstract
Lake sediment characterization, a prerequisite for the vulnerability
assessment of lake ecosystems, demands reliable in situ methods for the
characterization of the sediment layer composition. A unified
characterization of lake sediments within lake ecotopes (open water, open
water patches within the reed, and the reed) is still a challenge. Each
ecotope is covered by different classical scientific disciplines
(hydrography and terrestrial remote sensing to soil physics) with their
specific characterization methods. Recently, a complementary tool that
bridges the gap between land and hydrographic surveying methods was
introduced. It is a non-acoustic device that combines two soil physical
sensors (a capacitive sensor and a cone penetrometer) and GNSS-positioning
in a measuring system (CSPS). The CSPS enables rapid in situ delineation of
water–mud–consolidated lakebed interfaces. The system was successfully
applied across ecotopes at the Neusiedler See, a well-mixed shallow lake
rich in fine-grained sediments. The geo-referenced vertical CSPS profiles
show ecotope-specific layer composition. The effects of wind-induced
turbidity, particle size, and electrical conductivity were analysed. The
water–mud interface was precisely delineated at the open water due to a
persistent high water content gradient, equivalent to a lutocline. The
penetration resistance (PR) for open water showed either a shallow and
highly compacted consolidated lakebed or a consolidated lakebed with a
partially compacted layer above, while in the reed the PR smoothly
increased until reaching the deepest penetration depths.
Citation
ID:
250935
Ref Key:
kogelbauer2015hydrologycharacterization