Nutrients

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In general, coastal dune lakes are considered to be biologically quite unproductive, since their naturally low concentrations of essential plant nutrients support relatively few aquatic plants (including algae) and animals.

Factors that contribute to the nutrient status of a lake include:

• climate, including temperature, amount of sunlight, rainfall and hydrology of the lake
• lake morphometry, based on the depth, volume and surface area of the lake, and the lake surface area to catchment size ratio
• nutrient supply, which is dependent on soil type, geology of the landscape, vegetation, and land use and management.