Lake Nyos (/ ˈ n iː oʊ s / NEE-ohs) is a crater lake in the Northwest Region of Cameroon, located about 315 km (196 mi) northwest of Yaoundé, the capital. Nyos is a deep lake high on the flank of an inactive volcano in the Oku volcanic plain along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity. Lake turnover occurs naturally twice a year when the temperatures change drastically and forces the cold and warm waters to churn. It occurs at least twice a year in the spring and fall (sometimes more if there are heavy rainstorms) where the upper and lower levels of your water body mix together. uestion: This fall the lake in our development had a foul odor. These reports are from 2002 and 2004. There will also be a (rotten egg) smell, and you'll start to see a lot of bubbles." If the lake is located in a region that has a high level of nutrients, the lake will naturally be in the eutrophic state. Causes & Effects of Fall Lake Turnover. As water cools, it becomes more dense, causing it to sink. That smell is sulfur and methane gas. What you are witnessing is a lake or reservoir turnover. Photo by Jay Kiley Sometime in November or December those who spend time on the lake in quiet contemplation might notice the normally clear water becomes murky, despite the absence of rain. One person even believed the lake turned over every night. In many lakes, the color of the water also changes and becomes cloudy. Water is quite possibly the most fascinating substance on earth. During fall turnover, the clarity of a lake usually decreases because mixing brings up nutrient rich water from the bottom of the lake and causes the lake to look cloudy. When you find an area that fits this description, you should heed Wirth's next bit of advice. Sometimes there is even a distinct smell as decomposing plants, algae and other matter surfaces. Lake Turnover Forum Sponsor. Lake Mendota with its large size and deep water is the last lake in the Chain to turnover. Turnover: Pond or lake turnover is often a reason why your water smells really bad at different times. Smelly situation: City gets confirmation on Eastside Park lake turnover Lindsay Owens Times Herald Sep 16, 2020 Sep 16, 2020; It’s now been confirmed. Lake turnover is a phenomenon that generally occurs twice a year, spring and fall. Turnover is the process where the bottom part of the lake rises and the top part lowers. Cooler weather means your lake or pond will soon turn over. It will smell like rotten eggs from the decay coming to the surface. Coming from the Biologist I thought this might help clear up some of the mis-understanding about fall turnover. “Normally, 94% comes from Lake Taneycomo. Search BWCA.com Lost and … University of Kentucky. It occurs at least twice a year in the spring and fall (sometimes more if there are heavy rainstorms) where the upper and lower levels of your water body mix together. What caused the off smelling / tasting water? During the fall, the warm surface water begins to cool. Turnover: Pond or lake turnover is often a reason why your water smells really bad at different times. He said that, while the water was still well within all safety requirements, the smell and taste of the organics was “very detectable.” In response, the city slowed down production from the lake and increased it from wells. I wanted to know more so I checked out "A Quick Lesson on Lakes" on the Lakes Environmental Association website. 2. Fall turnover can last several weeks, especially if enhanced by windy weather. During the summer, the epilimnion, or surface layer, is the warmest. Author. Temperature changes typically cause the foul odour around Niven Lake once or twice a year — during spring and fall as the lake water turns over, said Dennis Kefalas, the city’s director of public works and engineering. I posted this in another thread but felt it might be interesting enough to have its own thread. Sewage entering the lake intentionally or accidentally, agricultural run-offs from crop-fields, or fertilizers leached into the waters are the different ways in which nutrients are added to a water body due to human activities. The fishing will stink almost as bad as the lake. As autumn progresses the lake gives back the warmth it had collected over the summer. The process itself normally has no effect on the taste or quality of the water. Throughout the year at Georgia's latitudes and elevations, reservoirs go through a fairly predictable annual cycle. Decomposing organic matter is being churned up from the bottom, a signature sign of lake turnover. The sun’s radiation does not reach this cold, dark layer. but another one that always has wind on it seemd to have never turned over yet. You can often see and smell it. The process is complete by the time ice forms on the surface. Posted Tuesday, November 17, 2009 — General. Have you ever gone to a lake or reservoir in the fall to find that it smells like sulfur, has a unusual color, and decomposing vegetation in the water? Glasgow Water Co. customers might have recently noticed an earthy or musty taste and smell in their drinking water. It is heated by the sun. Jennifer Elms, P.E. He also explains the smell at the Dam is because the lake has not turned over. This is why, in the spring and fall, the lake can have an unpleasant smell. "Lake turnover" is a term that is often used incorrectly to describe one period of the annual cycle of lake stratification (layering), which affects the water quality of Southeastern reservoirs. "You have to avoid it like the plague," he says. Then, when turnover is complete, the clarity increases dramatically. A volcanic dam impounds the lake … 3) After turnover, the lake’s water temperature will be constant from top to bottom. This can give off a hint of rotten egg odor on the surface. As this organic-rich bottom water is pushed upwards it mixes with oxygen-rich water and very rapid decomposition can occur. "So that sediment, whenever you chlorinate it and bring it through the system, it causes an odor," Geurin said. Once this happens, the lake’s water temperature, and most importantly, the oxygen layers are now the same at all levels. Sometimes, especially after lots of cooler weather, cold rain, and constant higher winds a lake can undergo a mini-turnover. This turnover occurs every year when the colder water in the mid ranges of lakes begins to float to the surface. It has been reported that an algae bloom in the water source is responsible for the bad taste and smell. Look at the river below the dams and you can see this off-colored water. Lakes often have a peculiar smell during turnover because decomposition produces sulfur compounds that stink. COLUMBUS, Ind. Last Visit: 12/29/2020 06:18PM Sort by. 2. A stale rotten smell may … lake turnover What’s Wrong with City of Houston Water? All summer the cold waters trapped in the bottom layer of the lake have harbored unique communities of bacteria that help decompose algae, leaf litter, and all other types of organisms whose final resting place may be the bottom of a lake. Sometimes there is even a distinct smell as decomposing plants, algae and other matter surfaces. "You're just not going to catch fish in those dead waters." Lake turnover continues to occur in different areas all over the lake. This is true for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that without water, life as we know it would not exist. Good time to grab the shotgun and shoot something. Natural History Note – Lake Turnover. The deepest layer, the hypolimnion, is the coldest. It happens every year. It causes a slight smell in the fall and spring. Most of the time a lake turnover will happen as the water temp nears 40 degrees. Now it’s down to 22% with 78% coming from wells,” Ray said. Whether it occurs in spring or fall, lake turnover affects oxygen levels in the water. Lake Wisconsin and the Wisconsin River do not have a fall turnover because they have current and a water flow that keeps the water circulating year-round. ~Lake turnover is a term referring to the exchange of existing water in a lake with new water by discharging existing water while accepting new (from sources such as snow melt, rainfall and/or feeder streams). For instance, Lake Superior drains into Lake Michigan and down the line through Lake Ontario and then, finally, through the St. Lawrence to the Atlantic. Ever wonder what happens after a winter thaw to the plants, oxygen and of course the fish in the lake? This phenomenon is called lake turnover. We can even track spring turnover with a Secchi disk, by measuring water clarity. During fall turnover, the clarity of a lake usually decreases because mixing brings up nutrient rich water from the bottom of the lake and causes the lake to look cloudy. (Asked by a concerned, anonymous lake dweller, of Greenwood, S.C.) It is caused by water temperatures being different at the surface and in the lower regions of a lake. This normally occurs after a heavy rain and a drop in temperature and decomposing sediment and leaves on the bottom of the lake releasing natural odors that smell like sulfur or rotten eggs. one lake i fish is very secluded with tree lines and high banks everywhere. The lake won't be stratified enough to have a significant turnover, meaning there won't be much if any difference in the bass' location. Text. What causes this? : Algae bloom is an easy way to explain to the general public. Fall turnover changes more than just temperature. Lake turnover changes with the seasons. When this happens the entire water column will mix or “turnover”. Lakes and reservoirs in Ohio usually have two turnover periods, one in the fall and another in the spring. The dead fish at Eastside Park were the result of the bottom lake turning over resulting in a fish kill. However, City Manager Greg McDanel said instances of extreme excesses of algae growth, known as an algae bloom, have been a reoccurring problem for the lake in years past. I grew up on lakes and always knew the basics of "lake turnover." Print Top Bottom Previous Next Fishing Sponsor: Voyageur North Canoe Outfitters Community Links. Then, when turnover is complete, the clarity increases dramatically. -- Columbus residents walking in Mill Race Park over the past couple of days encountered an unpleasant smell and a more unpleasant sight -- dead fish floating on … It seems if people experience a change in the taste or smell of the water at the tap, they say “well the lake must be turning over.” If the fish stop biting one Saturday, they blame it on lake turnover. 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