Lake Namekagon Buoy Dashboard

Lake Namekagon
Buoy Dashboard

Readings as of 7/30/2024 1:00 pm
Unless otherwise indicated

Temperature: The water temperature reading is taken 1 meter, or about three feet, underwater. The changes in water temperature are much smaller compared to changes in air temperature because water has a high heat capacity. In other words, it takes more energy to warm the lake up in the spring (relative to the air) and the lake stays warmer into the fall even as air temperatures drop. You can see the hour-to-hour or day-to-day changes in water temperature are much less compared to air temperatures.

The air temperature reading is taken from the antenna attached to the buoy, just above the surface of the water. Air temperatures regularly change 10 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit in one day, but water temperature may only change by 1 to 2 degrees. The difference is because air has a much lower heat capacity than water. In other words, the energy from the sun can warm air by several degrees in several hours, whereas much more energy is needed over days or even weeks to warm water by the same amount.

Dissolved Oxygen: Dissolved oxygen in the water is critical for the survival of aquatic organisms. Oxygen is produced by algae and aquatic plants in the lake via photosynthesis and can exchange with the air via physical diffusion. While the surface water of lakes may have ample oxygen for fish and invertebrates, deeper waters can experience very low oxygen levels making this habitat difficult for many organisms to survive. On most days, dissolved oxygen increases during the day and decreases at night, which can be likened to the “pulse” of the entire biological community of the lake.

Northland College