Like fingerprints or snowflakes, every lake is unique. There are many characteristics that make lakes individual gems in the landscape. Here we explore some of the most important ways in which lakes vary. The characteristics highlighted say something about the water quality, species that live in a lake, and what happens underwater.
Types of Water Bodies What exactly defines a lake? How are lakes different than ponds? Reservoirs? Rivers?
Where are Lakes? If you’ve traveled, you may have noticed that in some places there are many lakes while in others there are few. Where are lakes concentrated? Why are they located where they are?
Lake Origins How do lakes form? Can you tell how a lake formed from what it looks like or what’s around it?
Color of Lakes Some lakes are a deep blue, some are a green, and some are brown. What gives lakes their color and what does color mean about what’s going on underwater?
Shape of Lakes Some lakes have a classic circular or oval shape, others look like a tangled web of bays and crevices. What defines the shape of a lake? How is shape important?