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Limnologist
Studies freshwater ecosystems — lakes, rivers, ponds, and wetlands.
Did you know?
Lake Baikal in Russia holds about 22-23% of the world's fresh surface water and is the deepest lake on Earth, at 1,642 metres.
How subjects help
- Biology: Identify the algae, insects and fish in a lake to judge how healthy the water is.
- Chemistry: Measure oxygen and nutrients in lake water to explain why fish are dying or algae is spreading.
- Geography: Map how rivers and streams feed a lake and carry soil and farm waste into it.
- Environmental Science: Plan ways to restore a polluted pond or wetland so wildlife can return.
A famous name
G. Evelyn Hutchinson: Ecologist who studied the chemistry and life of lakes and wrote A Treatise on Limnology.
Try it yourself: Float fresh water on the sea
- Stir 3 tablespoons of salt into a cup of water until it dissolves, and pour it into a clear glass until half full. This is your "sea".
- Half-fill a second cup with plain water and add a few drops of food colouring. This is your "river".
- Very slowly pour the coloured water into the salty glass, letting it run down the side or over the back of the spoon.
- Look from the side and draw what you see. Try it the other way round (coloured salt water into plain water) and compare.
Oceanographers measure saltiness and temperature at different depths, because layers of heavier and lighter water drive ocean currents and affect where sea life can live.
Adapted from NOAA National Ocean Service: Please Pass the Salt.
Also try: Clean an oily feather.
Known for it in
USA, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Australia