Metabolic rates of arctic lakes1

A technique for calculating the respiration rates of arctic lakes during winter is presented. Respiration rates range from a low of 30 g O2 m−2 yr−1 at Resolute, Cornwallis Island, to over 200 at Disko Fjord, Greenland, but a general range of 40–70 can be expected at 75° N latitude. Differences in lake productivity are tentatively ascribed to variations in turbidity and plant cover in the drainage basin.