Effects of the 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens on the Limnological Characteristics of Selected Lakes in Western Washington

摘要

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, afforded an opportunity to study its physical, chemical, and biological effects on lakes near the volcano and to describe two newly created lakes. From June 1980 to August 1982, water samples were collected from four lakes in the blast zone and two outside the blast zone, as well as from the two newly created lakes. Concentrations of chemical constituents were inversely related to the distance of a lake from the volcano. The recovery of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the lakes will depend on stabilization of the volcano and lake watersheds, dilution and water-exchange rates, and biological processes within each lake. Excluding Spirit Lake from consideration, it was estimated from the study that St. Helens Lake would be the slowest of the study lakes to recover, and Venus Lake would be the fastest.