Nutrient dependence of phytoplankton production in brown-water lakes with special reference to Lake Päijänne

A method for predicting the mean seasonal chlorophyll a concentration, the mean seasonal in vitro phytoplankton primary productivity per unit volume, the maximum daily production per unit volume and the seasonal integral production in brown-water lakes is presented. The production values can be calculated when the mean annual concentration of total phosphorus and the mean annual colour of the water are known. This method has been developed especially for practical water pollution studies to permit rapid and inexpensive estimates of major biological consequences of changes in effluent loads. The method can be applied for brown-water lakes where phosphorus is the limiting nutrient for primary…