Biology of Lake Blankensee

The Blankensee (lake) is located in a rural area approximately 6 km south-east of Lübeck’s town centre.

The Blankensee is fed by the Blankensee stream which enters the lake from the south west and flows out from the north east.

Expanse	420 m x 750	m
Area	225,000	m²
Average depth	1.60	m
Deepest point	2.70	m
Catchment area	3.19	km²
Theoretical water retention time	0.4	years

View over Blankensee

Sampling location
The sampling location is in the north east central section of the lake and was selected as a representational centre for the condition of the whole lake.

Formation
During the last ice age, approximately 12,000 years ago, the inland ice from Scandinavia pushed down to the middle of Schleswig-Holstein along a line from Flensburg to Mölln. At approximately the latitude of Mölln, the edge of the ice changed from running in a north-south direction to following an east-west direction.

Later thrusts of ice carved out the Lübeck Basin which can be easily seen on any topographical map by the lines of the moraine hills. A glance at the map shows that although there are only a few lakes in the Lübeck basin there are numerous ponds.

Precise information about the formation of Blankensee is not known and will only be able to be deduced from a focused investigation and dating of its sediment.

Blankensee’s bacteriology
Bacteriological tests have not been carried out on Blankensee as the lake is not used for swimming.

Blankensee hydraulics
Hydraulic tests have not been carried out on Blankensee.

Restoration
It is not part of this project to make a restauration of Lake Blankensee.