Limnology
Definition
The scientific study of the biology, chemistry, and physics of inland waters (lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands). Its reference databases of species assemblages and water-chemistry profiles underpin forensic aquatic evidence interpretation.
Related terms
- Aquatic macrophyte
- Vascular aquatic plants, including submerged, floating, and emergent species such as Elodea, Potamogeton, Phragmites, and Nymphaea. Fragments of these plants on a...
- Cyanobacteria
- Photosynthetic prokaryotic bacteria, often called blue-green algae. Form surface scums in warm, nutrient-rich water. Contain characteristic cellular structures (heterocysts, akinetes) identifiable microscopically....
- Limnological profiling
- Building a characterisation of a water body using physical, chemical, and biological measurements. Forensically, the profile is the reference against which biological...
- Macroalgae
- Filamentous or thalloid algae visible to the naked eye, such as Spirogyra, Cladophora, Enteromorpha, and Chaetophora. They colonise sheltered margins, shallow water,...
- Phytoplankton
- Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that live suspended in the water column. Includes diatoms plus green algae, cyanobacteria, chrysophytes, dinoflagellates, and euglenoids. The full...
Explained in
- Algae, Limnology, and Aquatic Scene AnalysisThe scientific study of the biology, chemistry, and physics of inland waters (lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands). Its reference databases of species assemblages a...