Short‐range atmospheric transport: A significant source of phosphorus to an oligotrophic lake

During summer stratification, particles transported by wind from surrounding forest were a major source of P into Mirror Lake, a small, oligotrophic lake in New Hampshire. These particles consisted largely of terrestrial insects, insect parts, and plant fragments of various sizes. This atmospheric fallout of P was greatest near the shoreline and decreased exponentially with increasing distance from shore. Integrated for the entire 15‐ha lake, it represented an input of ∼11–13 µmol P m −2 d −1 of lake surface in midsummer. The input of P from atmospheric fallout was highly significant to the summer P economy of the lake and was 50‐fold to 70‐fold greater than the input of P in either streamflow or rainfall in the same period.