Sources and scales of near-bottom turbulent mixing in large meromictic Lake Iseo

Mixing dynamics in the bottom boundary layer (BBL) of lakes is of primary importance for mediating mass and heat fluxes across the upper sediment. In lakes with depth of several hundred meters, the BBL mixing is often suggested to be low; however, quantitative information from these depths is extremely rare. We assessed the mixing conditions in the BBL of Lake Iseo, a 256 m deep, meromictic Italian lake, where anoxia and accumulation of phosphorus is a major issue. High-resolution temperature and currents measurements demonstrated regular development of turbulence at 220 m depth, with dissipation rates of the turbulent kinetic energy up to 10−7 W kg−1, characteristic of a shear boundary layer. Analysis of temperature and oxygen dynamics revealed a direct link between the turbulence intensification in the BBL and the passage of a 90-h period basin-scale internal wave. This slow oscillatory motion was attributed to lake-wide internal waves of second vertical mode, whose effect in the upper part of the water column was much less profound. The wave passages were able to increase hypolimnetic velocities above 1 cm s−1, to produce thermal instability across the BBL and to significantly enhance turbulent mixing in the deepest waters. During periods of high velocity bursts, the chemical stratification in the BBL was effectively eroded while direct sediment resuspension was unlikely. The new results reveal the turbulent character of the bottom boundary mixing in deep lakes, highlighting the direct link to wind-driven motions and important effects on the water–sediment exchange of solutes.