A LABORATORY STUDY OF THE ABSORPTION OF LIGHT BY LAKE WATERS Harry RAYMOND JAMES Professor of Physics, Hastings College With the Cooperation of Epwarp A. BIRGE Biologist, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey From the Limnological Laboratory of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. Notes and reports No. 72.TABLE OF CONTENTS InTRopucTION Cuarter I. Apparatus and methods ........ 15 Monochromator . Optical system ‘Water tubes Thermopile . Galvanometer . Filters Room ... Reading and calculation Percentile absorption curves . Cuarren II. Absorption of light by distilled water 25 Apparatus and methods 25 Results, Table I. 80 Comparison with other observers, Table II . 81 Purity of water . a7 Molecular scattering . 38 Effect of temperature of water . 39 Cuapran III. Absorption of light by lake waters 45 Section 1. General conditions 45 Suspensoids, turbidity 46 Color, standard of . 48 Computation of . ba Amount and sources BA General action of lake waters . 56 Section 2. Observations on lake waters 59 Treatment of waters . 61 Settling ..... 61 Filtration 62 Dilution . 64 Control of bacteria . 64 Spread of single observations 66 Section 3. Mean results er Settled waters . 68 Filtered waters 69 Dilutions .... 1 Three groups of lakes ae Variation of observations 7%Comparison with results of Pietenpol Results of von Aufsess and Erikson 6 Section 4. Absorption curves from typical lakes .. 8 Settled waters. Devils and Little Papoose lakes . 9 Filtration, Waters that filter to color 0 81 Filtration. Waters of color 6 83 Filtration. Groups I and II compared . 85 Filtration, Waters of Group I . 88 Filtration, Waters of Group IT 90 Dilutions . 93 Absorption at 3650 A 95 General tables of percentile absorption . 99 Settled waters. Table X . * 100 Filtered waters. Table XI 103 Dilutions. Table XII ... 107 Cuaprer IV. Analysis of absorption of light by lake waters . 110 ‘Types of curves 11 Section 1. Remainder curves 112 Section 2. General factor curves . 114 2-component analysis 14 Single waters . 116 Marl Lake 116 Horschead Lake . 118 Dilutions 119 Little Long Lake 119 Helmet Lake .. 120 Factor curves, 7,000-8,000 A . 121 Section 3. Suspensoid eurves 123 S-component analysis 123 Methods .... 128 Nagawicka Lake. Factor curves . 125 Nagawicka Lake, Additive curves . 128 Single waters, 3-component Crystal Lake. Color 0 . Mean colors 4, 6, 10, 20 Muskellunge and Mari lakes . Lake George. Color 24 ... Adelaide Lake. Color 28 Rudolf Lake. Color 50 . Helmet Lake. Color 236 Use of mean color curve . Two waters of same color . Dissolved and colloid colors Mean curves for color absorption; 0-180 Mean color transmission; 7 wave-lengths 133 186 187 1388 140 142 143 144 145 SUMMARIES