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Little Pelican Lake Chlorophyll-a

Chlorophyll-a is the pigment in plants and algae that makes them green. Chlorophyll-a is a measurement of algal concentration in the water. more information on chlorophyll-a

Little Pelican chlorophyll-a at site 202 has been monitored from 2003 to 2011, and has an average of 8.8 ppb. This algae concentration is higher than in Big Pelican Lake (5.2 ppb).

2011 Results

In 2011, the chlorophyll-a concentration in Little Pelican Lake averaged 9.9 ppb. These results are higher than the historical average (8.8 ppb).

Table 2. 2011 Chlorophyll-a results.

The figure above shows the seasonal chlorophyll a pattern. Chlorophyll a concentrations start out low in June and then increase to a peak in mid to late August. This pattern follows the phosphorus concentration because phosphorus is food for the algae. Chlorophyll a concentrations in Little Pelican Lake reached 10 ug/L every year indicating minor algae blooms toward the end of the summer. In 2005, 2007 and 2008 chlorophyll a concentrations reached 20 ug/L indicating nuisance algae blooms in late August. These chlorophyll a levels are typical for a shallow lake in northern Minnesota.

Chlorophyll-a historical results: 2003-2011:

to next page: Little Pelican Total Phosphorus results

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