Peninsula Lake (Alberta) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peninsula Lake |
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 Peninsula Lake
Location in Alberta
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| Location | Flagstaff County, Alberta |
| Coordinates | 52°51′36″N 111°29′08″W / 52.86000°N 111.48556°W |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
| Max. width | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) |
| Surface area | 1.39 km2 (0.54 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) |
| Max. depth | 3.1 m (10 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 656 m (2,152 ft) |
Peninsula Lake is a unique lake located in Alberta, Canada. It's about 160 km (or 100 miles) southeast of the big city of Edmonton. What makes Peninsula Lake special is that its water is quite salty, much like the ocean, but it's a lake!
This saltiness, also called salinity, changes many things about the lake. It affects how warm the water gets, what kinds of nutrients are in it, and even which plants and animals can live there.
Why is Peninsula Lake Salty?
The water in Peninsula Lake has high levels of certain minerals. These include sulphate, sodium, and bicarbonate/carbonate. These minerals come from salty groundwater in the area. This groundwater slowly flows into the lake, making it salty over time.
Life in the Lake
Because of its salty water, Peninsula Lake is different from most freshwater lakes.
Plants
Even with all the minerals, there isn't much plant growth in the lake. You won't see many large plants growing along the shores or in the water.
Animals
You might be surprised to learn that there are no fish living in Peninsula Lake! The water is too salty for them to survive.
However, some tiny creatures do thrive here. A few types of planktonic invertebrates are very common. These are small animals without backbones that float or drift in the water. While there are many of these tiny creatures, there are fewer different species (types) of animals compared to lakes with fresh water.
Unique Features
Peninsula Lake also has some interesting temperature features. In winter, when the lake freezes over, the water under the ice gets extremely cold. It can drop to 0 °C (32 °F). This is very cold, even for lakes in Alberta, which are known for their chilly winters!
