Extreme weather and disturbance events are expected to increase, influencing plankton community structure and biogeochemical element cycling in lakes. We simulated an experimental summer storm by mixing deeper water masses from the meta- and hypolimnion into the mixed layer (epilimnion). The mixing included the disturbance of a deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) which was present at the same time of the experiment in the deep clear-water Lake Stechlin and situated in the metalimnion of each enclosure during filling. Plankton community structure, water physical variables and biogeochemical cycling was monitored for 42 days after the experimental summer storm disturbance event. The experiment was performed in large-volume (~1200 m3, ~16m depth) enclosures in Lake Stechlin (LakeLab; https://www.igb-berlin.de/en/lakelab).

Further Project information:Core Facility grant; Award: GE 1775/2-1