The Freshwater Ecology Class at Virginia Tech focuses on physical, biological, and chemical aspects of lakes, ponds, and streams. They tell us they feel fortunate to have Mountain Lake, one of only two natural lakes in Virginia, to visit for one of their annual fall field trips. Classes from Virginia Tech have been visiting Mountain Lake for at least 40 years, starting when Prof. Stuart Neff taught Limnology at Tech.

Each year the students measure a variety of chemical, physical, and biological parameters such as the depth of light penetration. Unlike other many reservoirs and natural lakes, light typically penetrates deep into Mountain Lake, a result of its oligotrophic, or low productivity, status. The students also collect water samples from the surface to nearly 60 feet deep to measure dissolved oxygen and temperature and observe the thermal stratification of Mountain Lake.

This stratification may create zones of very different oxygen availability to animal communities in the lake. Zooplankton, microscopic animals living in the lake, are sampled with plankton nets, and larger animals such as insects which live in the mud on the bottom of the lake are sampled with small dredges.

Back in Blacksburg, the students analyze their samples, graph their measurements, and prepare reports on their findings. Some of their data can be compared to measurements made back in 1931 by Prof. G. Evelyn Hutchinson of Yale University and his colleagues.