Earth:Lake Lanoto'o

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Short description: Samoa's largest lake
Lake Lanoto'o
Lake Lanoto'o
Lake Lanoto'o
Map of Samoa
Map of Samoa
Lake Lanoto'o
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] : 13°54′36.72″S 171°49′39.73″W / 13.9102°S 171.8277028°W / -13.9102; -171.8277028
TypeCrater lake
Catchment area23 hectares (57 acres)
Max. length400 metres (1,300 ft)
Surface area11 hectares (27 acres)
Max. depth17 metres (56 ft)
Surface elevation760 metres (2,490 ft)

Lake Lanoto'o is a volcanic crater lake on the island of Upolu in Samoa. It is the largest lake in Samoa.[1] The lake is surrounded by Lake Lanoto'o National Park and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.[2]

The lake is 400 metres (1,300 ft) long with a maximum depth of 17 metres (56 ft) and an area of 11 hectares,[3] with a water temperature of 27.8 °C (82.0 °F) and a pH of 5.72.[4] The crater is between 100,000 and 1 million years old.[3]

Sediment cores from the lake have been used to date the human settlement of Upolu[5] and of Polynesia,[3] and to study the paleoclimate and past ecology of Upolu.[6]

The lake provides an important habitat for the Pacific black duck and Spotless crake.[1] Goldfish were introduced during the German colonial period.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Samoa". SPREP. pp. 12–16. https://www.sprep.org/attachments/bem/Samoa_Country_Chapter.pdf. 
  2. "Lake Lanoto'o". Ramsar Sites Information Service. https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1412?language=en. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sear, David A.; Allen, Melinda S.; Hassall, Jonathan D.; Maloney, Ashley E.; Langdon, Peter G. (16 June 2020). "Human settlement of East Polynesia earlier, incremental, and coincident with prolonged South Pacific drought". PNAS 117 (24): 2. doi:10.1073/pnas.2008788117. PMID 32513740. PMC 7306803. https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/early/2020/03/31/1920975117.full.pdf. Retrieved 8 August 2021. 
  4. Schabetsberge, Robert; Drozdowski, Gabriele; Rott, Eugen; Lenzenweger, Rupert; Jersabek, Christian D. (2009). "Losing the Bounty? Investigating Species Richness in Isolated Freshwater Ecosystems of Oceania". Pacific Science 63 (2): 156. doi:10.2984/049.063.0201. https://bioone.org/journals/pacific-science/volume-63/issue-2/049.063.0201/Losing-the-Bounty-Investigating-Species-Richness-in-Isolated-Freshwater-Ecosystems/10.2984/049.063.0201.full. Retrieved 8 August 2021. 
  5. Gosling, William D.; Sear, David A.; Hassall, Jonathan; Langdon, Peter G.; Bönnen, Mick N. T. (2020). "Human occupation and ecosystem change on Upolu (Samoa) during the Holocene". Journal of Biogeography 47 (3): 600–614. doi:10.1111/jbi.13783. 
  6. Parkes, Annette (1994). HOLOCENE ENVIRONMENTS AND VEGETATIONAL CHANGE ON FOUR POLYNESIAN ISLANDS (PDF) (PhD). University of Hull. p. 67-86. Retrieved 8 August 2021.