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SML Crystal Lake
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Crystal Lake on the southern end of Appledore Island, Maine (42°59’11.0’’N x 070°36’50.9’’W) is the sole permanent body of fresh water on the island. During the late 1800’s the lake provided ice and possibly fresh water for the guests of the Grand Appledore Hotel summering on the island. A stone foundation and iron fittings poking up through the thick undergrowth on the northwest shore are all that remain of the ice house. The constant water level of the lake on an elevated area of the island has led to the speculation that it is fed by an underground spring. Small trees and brush grow down to overhang the edge of the water, contributing to the peaty, organic lake sediments and to a large amount of suspended matter. Herring gulls and Mallard ducks reside around the lake away from the main gull nesting areas on Appledore and their waste contributes to the nutrient content of the lake. Sunlight penetrates only a few centimeters into the greenish-brown but well-oxygenated <5 m deep water. pH is neutral to weakly acidic (6.5-7.8). Crystal Lake’s distance from the ocean shelters it from most storms, and the low salinity, 0.1 ppt, may come from the flocks of Herring and Blackback gulls that wash the sea salt from their feathers.
Prepared by Carolina Galan and Harry LeVine III as part of the Field Microbial Ecology course at Shoals Marine Laboratory.
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