Results of lake water analysis from Lake Süßer See in Saxony-Anhalt during the Inland Water Remote Sensing Validation Campaign 2017

Lake Süßer See is a eutrophic to hypertrophic medium-sized lake (max. depth 8.2 m, mean depth 4.3 m; volume 11.6 Mio. m³, surface area 268 ha) which receives water from the south-eastern foothills of the Harz Mountains and a former mining area for copper shale (Mansfelder Land) by the stream “Böse Sieben” (Becker et al. 2001; Lewandowski et al. 2003). The lake basin represents a sinkhole that has been formed by dissolution of underlying Permian evaporates (Wennrich et al. 2007).

High P load by the inflows are a result of extensive fertilizer application in the catchment further supporting the high trophic state of the lake. Although phosphorus removal by aluminum sulfate application between 1976 and 1992 reduced internal P loading from the sediments high external, diffuse-source TP loads prevented substantial water quality improvements (TPlake about 200 µg/L) and annually occurring algae blooms of cyanobacteria persist.