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The study conducted at Sunset Lake in Brookfield, VT involves a waste particle collection within the lakes bank and aquatic areas. The survey was conducted to support past studies of freshwater lakes where scientists collectively found a shore to water column to lake sediment trend. My study employed the same structure of collection; shoreline, water column trawl, and sediment dredging.
The results show onshore collected waste involved 71% produced by individuals (cigarette litter) 10% produced by recreational and residential activity (swimming areas), and 3% produced by municipal activity (asphalt laying). Altogether, the concentration of materials totaled, at its highest, 5.8 particles/𝑚3 in the Northwestern area of Sunset Lake. Similarly, water column data also indicates a max concentration of 6 particles/𝑚3 from the Northern trawl. Data taken from the sediment dredges, concluded a max concentration of 14 particles/𝑚3 at the South-Central point of Sunset Lakes floating bridge.
Altogether, the results suggest Sunset Lake has a waste cycle that starts on land with cigarettes, followed by plastic wrappers contributing to filaments in water column; high-density materials like fabrics, rigid plastic and ceramics end up in the sediment; finishing off with the outlet exporting filaments to the nearby stream.
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Previous waste particle studies indicate freshwater lakes are undergoing anthropogenic-driven waste cycling of the lake ecosystem; at the shoreline, in the water column, and within the lake sediment. Following the same construct of these studies, the study conducted at Sunset Lake in Brookfield, VT provides further analysis of the waste cycle process of freshwater ecosystems in Central Vermont.
