Articles | Volume 20, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2975-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2975-2016
Research article
 | 
22 Jul 2016
Research article |  | 22 Jul 2016

A practical approach to lake water density from electrical conductivity and temperature

Santiago Moreira, Martin Schultze, Karsten Rahn, and Bertram Boehrer

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Cited articles

Appelo, C. A. J.: Specific Conductance: how to calculate, to use, and the pitfalls, available at: http://www.hydrochemistry.eu/exmpls/sc.html, last access: June 2016.
Atkins, P. and de Paula, A.: Physical Chemistry, 9th ed, Oxford University Press, 2009.
Baborowski, M., Büttner, O., and Einax, J. W.: Assessment of Water Quality in the Elbe River at Low Water Conditions Based on Factor Analysis, Clean – Soil, Air, Water, 39, 437–443, https://doi.org/10.1002/clen.201000373, 2011.
Boehrer, B.: WEBAX – Web access to numerical tools of limnology, available at: http://www.ufz.de/webax (last access: July 2016), 2010.
Boehrer, B. and Schultze, M.: Stratification of lakes, Rev. Geophys., 46, RG2005, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006RG000210, 2008.
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Short summary
Density calculations in lakes are essential in the study of stability, stratification and numerical modelling. However, density equations which use fixed constant coefficients are still common in use, despite their limitations. We present a practical approach which can specifically include the effect of dissolved substances by fitting two coefficients. The method has been tested against density equations and density measurements in lakes.
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