Loch of the Lowes
| Loch of the Lowes | |
|---|---|
December 2005
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| Location | Perth and Kinross |
| Coordinates | 56°34′40″N 3°33′0″W / 56.57778°N 3.55000°WCoordinates: 56°34′40″N 3°33′0″W / 56.57778°N 3.55000°W |
| Type | loch |
| Primary inflows | Lunan Burn |
| Primary outflows | Lunan Burn |
| Catchment area | 1,400 ha (14 km2) |
| Basin countries | Scotland |
| Surface area | 88 ha (0.88 km2) |
| Average depth | 7.5 m (25 ft) |
| Max. depth | 16.2 m (53 ft) |
| Water volume | 5,500,000 m3 (190,000,000 cu ft) |
| Surface elevation | 100 m (330 ft) |
Loch of the Lowes is a loch near Dunkeld in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The loch and the surrounding area are designated as a wildlife reserve, run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The loch is also a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as well as forming part of a Special Area of Conservation.
The loch covers 88 hectares and hosts a variety of wildlife, including a pair of breeding ospreys, red squirrels, otters and beavers.
Wildfowl numbers peak in early winter with migrant greylag geese roosting on the loch. In addition, goldeneyes, mallards, goosanders, wigeons, teals, tufted ducks and great crested grebes can also be seen.
During the 19th century, a drainage canal was dug, connecting Loch of Craiglush with Lowes, causing the water levels of the two lochs to equalise. The Lunan Burn now flows through this canal. The reserve land was purchased by the Scottish Wildlife Trust in 1969, due to the loch being the largest mesotrophic loch in the area, and the presence of the rare pondweed Slender Naiad.
Loch of the Lowes forms part of a chain of lochs known as the Lunan Lochs. The Lunan Lochs are Lochs Craiglush, Lowes, Butterstone, Clunie and Marlee, and are connected by the Lunan Burn, which drains into the River Isla, itself a tributary of the River Tay. Loch of the Lowes, along with Loch Craiglush and Loch Butterstone, are situated just north of the Highland Boundary Fault, and are mesotrophic lochs, and are characterised by a relatively low nutrient level, as their catchment areas are mostly acidic uplands. By comparison, Lochs Clunie and Marlee are situated south of the Highland Boundary Fault, and have a higher nutrient level. The Lunan Lochs are an example of a rare habitat in the United Kingdom, which start from nutrient-poor ogliotrophic lochs further upstream; to richer, mesotrophic lochs downstream.
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Wikipedia