Limnologie

Limnologie, also known as limnology, is the scientific study of inland aquatic ecosystems and their interfaces with the landscape. It encompasses lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and groundwater bodies, as well as the exchanges of mass and energy with catchment areas. The discipline integrates physical, chemical, and biological perspectives to understand how inland waters function and change.

Core topics include hydrodynamics and thermal structure, mixing and stratification, gas exchange, nutrient cycling, and water quality. Biological components cover phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic organisms, and fish, emphasizing productivity, food webs, succession, and biodiversity. Limnology also addresses human impacts such as eutrophication, pollution, habitat alteration, invasive species, and climate-related shifts.

Methods combine field measurements—temperature profiles, Secchi depth, conductivity, nutrient analyses—with laboratory analyses, isotope tracing, and ecological surveys. Modeling, remote sensing, and long-term monitoring programs support assessment and prediction of water quality, ecosystem health, and ecosystem services provided by inland waters.

Historically, limnology emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with foundational work by scientists such as François Alphonse Forel on Lake Geneva, shaping the study of integrated lake and river systems. Today limnology informs water resource management, conservation, and responses to climate change, guiding policies that protect freshwater biodiversity, drinking water supplies, recreation, and habitat integrity.