Fate of turbid glacial inflows in a hydroelectric reservoir.

Turbidity from glacial meltwater limits light penetration with potential ecological consequences. Using profiles of temperature, conductivity, and turbidity, we examine the physical processes driving changes in the epilimnetic turbidity of Carpenter Reservoir, a long and narrow, glacier-fed reservoir in southwest British Columbia, Canada. Following the onset of permanent summer stratification, the relatively dense inflows plunged into the hypolimnion, and despite the high glacial load entering the reservoir, the epilimnion cleared due to particle settling.

Temporal variations in turbidity in an oil sands pit lake.

We investigated temporal variations in turbidity in Base Mine Lake, an oil sands pit lake, located in northeast Alberta, Canada. The lake has a surface area of 7.8 km, is 9 m deep, and exhibits seasonal thermal stratification similar to that of natural dimictic lakes.