Seiche-Induced Resuspension in Lake Kinneret: A Fluorescent Tracer Experiment

In warm-monomictic Lake Kinneret, wind-induced internal waves with amplitudes of up to 10 meters are common during April October. This study was aimed to follow the horizontal and vertical transport of resuspended particles due to internal wave activity using fluorescently-dyed sediment particles (lake sediments and lyophilized algal cells) as tracers. Color-coded (5 colors) tracers were deployed along a transect perpendicular to the shore, and their dispersion was followed by recovery of labeled particles in sediment traps and in bottom sediment samples using epifluorescence microscopy. Wind-induced internal seiches as the driving force for resuspension were followed using a thermistor chain and a current velocity profiler. Examination of sediment trap and bottom sediment samples indicated particle transport from the hypolimnion to the epilimnion that could be linked to the seiche activity. Horizontal transport of particles was most distinct for littoral sediments whereby particles placed at 5 m depth were exposed to a strong long shore transport.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]