Application of optical classifications to North European lakes

Two classifications (rough and fine) based on the optical properties of water were used to classify 42 Estonian, Finnish, and Swedish lakes. The rough classification was based on the amount of optically active substances (OAS: chlorophyll a, suspended matter, and colored dissolved organic matter) in the water. The basic variables of the fine classification were chlorophyll a concentration, beam attenuation coefficient of light in the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) region in the water (or corresponding Secchi depth), and the beam attenuation coefficient for filtered water at 380 nm. All optical classes were represented in the studied lakes by both classifications, when they changed their class depending on the seasonal and biological conditions. In a large lake, different parts of the lake belonged to different optical classes. The results obtained by both classifications were in good agreement. There was a concurrence between optical classes and water transparency by Secchi depth. Often the bio-optical variations of water properties are described from the measurements of all three OAS and Secchi depth because these parameters belong to routine monitoring datasets and have been carefully recorded. The water classes provide a method to summarize the influences of the different factors.