Marl lake

They support distinctive ecological communities that are vulnerable to damage from silting, nutrient pollution, drainage, and invasive species.

Marl lakes typically are found in areas that were recently glaciated, and they often fill kettle depressions left behind by melting glaciers.

[3] The calcium carbonate precipitates from lake water that is alkaline, typically with a pH 8.0 or greater,[4] and has a high concentration of divalent ions and is low in dissolved organic compounds.

[6] Young marl lakes are sometimes visually stunning, with very fine suspended crystals of calcium carbonate giving the water an opaque light blue color.

These are found in a narrow band between a beach rich in clastic sediments and deeper water below wave base.

These are thought to begin with thin patches in the original kettle ice, which were colonized by Najas, Potamogeton, and Chara.

[2] Iron is a limiting nutrient in marl lakes, as it is practically insoluble in oxygenated, alkaline water.

[12] Marl lakes are ecologically important,[13] but are vulnerable to damage by silting, nutrient pollution, drainage, and invasive species.

[14] Eventually a threshold is reached at which the lake rapidly loses its marl characteristics and flowering plants replace Chara.

[5] Wallywash Great Pond in Jamaica is an unusual tropical marl lake whose sediments also record climate fluctuations.