What controls the variation of dissolved organic matter in lake ecosystems?
Lakes receive inputs of dissolved organic matter from their surrounding watersheds. Heavy concentrations of this material give lakes a tea to coffee-like color. We are using data from hundreds of watersheds in the Adirondack Park to explore the relationships between lake color and the spatial patterns of wetlands and forests in the landscape. You can learn more about this research by reading a project summary, an essay entitled The Color of Water, as well as in a forthcoming paper in Ecological Applications (Canham et al. 2004).
