Lake Akan
Lake in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake Akan (阿寒湖, Akan-ko) is a lake in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is located in Akan National Park and is a Ramsar Site.[2][3]
Coordinates43°27′6″N 144°5′55″E
| Lake Akan | |
|---|---|
| 阿寒湖 (Japanese) | |
The view from Mount Oakan (July 2008) | |
  Lake Akan | |
| Location | Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan |
| Coordinates | 43°27′6″N 144°5′55″E |
| Lake type | Dimictic |
| Primary outflows | Akan River |
| Catchment area | 148 km2 (57 mi2) |
| Basin countries | Japan |
| Surface area | 13 km2 (3,200 acres) |
| Average depth | 17.8 m (58 ft) |
| Max. depth | 44.8 m (147 ft) |
| Water volume | 0.23 km3 (0.055 mi3) |
| Shore length1 | 25.9 km (16.1 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 420 m (1,380 ft) |
| Frozen | December to April |
| Islands | 4: Ōjima, Kojima, Yaitai Island, Chūrui Island |
| Settlements | Kushiro |
| Official name | Akan-ko |
| Designated | 8 November 2005 |
| Reference no. | 1540[1] |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
History
Flora and fauna
The lake is famous for its marimo (Aegagropila linnaei), aggregations of algae that form into spherical shapes 2–30 cm in diameter. Other flora of the lake include the following:[4]
- Phragmites communis
- Nuphar sp.
- Potamogeton crispus
- Hydrilla verticillata
- Myriophyllum verticillatum
- Vallisneria gigantea
- Melosira italica
- Asterionella formosa
- Synedra
Kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) are native to Lake Akan. Other fauna of the lake include the following:[4]
- Zooplankton:
- Daphnia longiremis
- Bosmina coregoni
- Eurytemora affinis
- Bottom:
- Fish:
Climate
| Climate data for Lake Akan (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) |
10.8 (51.4) |
16.5 (61.7) |
28.3 (82.9) |
35.5 (95.9) |
34.5 (94.1) |
34.9 (94.8) |
33.9 (93.0) |
31.4 (88.5) |
24.5 (76.1) |
19.0 (66.2) |
11.8 (53.2) |
35.5 (95.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −4.2 (24.4) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
1.4 (34.5) |
8.1 (46.6) |
15.1 (59.2) |
18.9 (66.0) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
19.0 (66.2) |
13.2 (55.8) |
5.8 (42.4) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
9.8 (49.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −10.0 (14.0) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
2.3 (36.1) |
8.5 (47.3) |
13.1 (55.6) |
17.1 (62.8) |
18.0 (64.4) |
14.0 (57.2) |
7.5 (45.5) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
4.3 (39.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −16.7 (1.9) |
−16.8 (1.8) |
−10.8 (12.6) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
2.3 (36.1) |
8.0 (46.4) |
12.9 (55.2) |
13.9 (57.0) |
9.3 (48.7) |
2.1 (35.8) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−12.1 (10.2) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −30.2 (−22.4) |
−30.7 (−23.3) |
−26.6 (−15.9) |
−20.9 (−5.6) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
1.8 (35.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−17.3 (0.9) |
−26.9 (−16.4) |
−30.7 (−23.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 63.2 (2.49) |
44.5 (1.75) |
70.2 (2.76) |
90.8 (3.57) |
105.7 (4.16) |
84.4 (3.32) |
103.2 (4.06) |
160.0 (6.30) |
165.7 (6.52) |
137.8 (5.43) |
85.2 (3.35) |
87.4 (3.44) |
1,197.9 (47.16) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 132 (52) |
96 (38) |
105 (41) |
54 (21) |
3 (1.2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.4) |
31 (12) |
123 (48) |
548 (216) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.2 | 8.9 | 11.5 | 11.3 | 11.0 | 10.1 | 10.4 | 11.4 | 12.0 | 10.5 | 9.8 | 9.8 | 126.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 3 cm) | 12.3 | 10.4 | 12.1 | 7.0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 3.9 | 13.0 | 59.2 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 97.5 | 111.9 | 137.1 | 154.0 | 169.4 | 146.3 | 132.2 | 115.7 | 110.1 | 123.3 | 110.6 | 107.3 | 1,546 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[5][6] | |||||||||||||
Gallery
Lake Akan and Mount Oakan- A few scenes in 2021
