Glossary of lake terms
Explanations of the terms used in this catalog (origin, lake type, freshwater and brackish, area, depth, transparency, unmodified lakes and natural parks), based on reports by the Environment Agency of Japan and the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan.
- How lakes form (origin)Dammed, lagoon-origin, caldera, volcanic and tectonic lakes
- Lake types (nutrient level)Eutrophic, mesotrophic, oligotrophic, dystrophic, acidotrophic and siderotrophic
- Freshwater and brackish lakesWhether seawater mixes in
- Lake areaHow area is measured, and the largest lakes
- Maximum and average depthHow depth is measured, and the deepest lakes
- TransparencyWater clarity measured with a white disk
- Unmodified lakesLakes whose shores have not been altered by people
- Natural parks and protected areasNational, quasi-national and prefectural parks, and Ramsar Sites