Blanca Lake in Washington, USA with the characteristic greenish water from glacial flour. The Columbia Glacier seen in the background is the main water source for this lake.
An alpine lake is a high-altitude lake in a mountainous area, usually near or above the tree line, with extended periods of ice cover. These lakes are commonly glacial lakes formed from glacial activity (either current or in the past) but can also be formed from geological processes such as volcanic activity (volcanogenic lakes) or landslides (barrier lakes). Many alpine lakes that are fed from glacial meltwater have the characteristic bright turquoise green color as a result of glacial flour, suspended minerals derived from a glacier scouring the bedrock.[1] When active glaciers are not supplying water to the lake, such as a majority of Rocky Mountains alpine lakes in the United States, the lakes may still be bright blue due to the lack of algal growth resulting from cold temperatures, lack of nutrient run-off from surrounding land, and lack of sediment input. The coloration and mountain locations of alpine lakes attract lots of recreational activity.
Alpine Lake, in the Cerro Blanco Mountains, Colorado, 1874. Photographs of the American West, Boston Public Library
Alpine lakes are some of the most abundant types of lakes on Earth. In the Swiss Alps alone, there are nearly 1,000 alpine lakes, most of which formed after the Little Ice Age.[2] As global temperatures continue to rise, more alpine lakes will be formed as glaciers recede and provide more run-off to surrounding areas, and existing lakes will see more biogeochemical changes and ecosystem shifts. An alpine lake's trophic state (i.e., level of biological productivity) progresses with age (e.g., low productivity after formation and increased productivity with vegetation and soil maturity in the surrounding watershed),[3] but anthropogenic effects such as agriculture and climate change are rapidly affecting productivity levels in some lakes.[4] These lakes are sensitive ecosystems and are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to the highly pronounced changes to ice and snow cover.[5] Due to the importance of alpine lakes as sources of freshwater for agricultural and human use, the physical, chemical, and biological responses to climate change are being extensively studied.
^"What are glacial lakes?". National Snow and Ice Data Center. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
^Mölg, Nico; Huggel, Christian; Herold, Thilo; Storck, Florian; Allen, Simon; Haeberli, Wilfried; Schaub, Yvonne; Odermatt, Daniel (2021). "Inventory and evolution of glacial lakes since the Little Ice Age: Lessons from the case of Switzerland". Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 46 (13): 2551–2564. Bibcode:2021ESPL...46.2551M. doi:10.1002/esp.5193. ISSN 0197-9337. S2CID 237251052.
^"North American Lake Management Society (NALMS)". North American Lake Management Society (NALMS). 2015-03-31. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
^"Changes in the Trophic Status of Three Mountain Lakes – Natural or Anthropogenic Process?". Polish Journal of Environmental Studies. 23 (3): 875–892. ISSN 1230-1485.
^Thompson, Roy; Kamenik, Christian; Schmidt, Roland (2005-08-01). "Ultra-sensitive Alpine lakes and climate change". Journal of Limnology. 64 (2): 139–152. doi:10.4081/jlimnol.2005.139. ISSN 1723-8633.
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