Łebsko – a coastal lake in Pomeranian Voivodeship (in the territory of Wicko and Smołdzino districts) on the Slovenian coast, the third largest lake in Poland.
It is a eutrophic lake.
Location of Lake Łebsko
The river is located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship on the territory of two districts: Słupsk and Lębork.
It lies within the territory of the Slovene National Park. The area of the lake accounts for 21,8 % of the total area of the park and 33,1 % of its area including inland water areas. Northern shore is the Łebská kosa with shifting sands.
The lake is situated at an altitude of 0,3 m.
Hydrography
Łebsko is the largest lake in Poland in terms of area after Śniardwy and Mamry. It is the largest coastal lake and the largest body of water in the Słowiński National Park. It covers an area of 71.4 km². The maximum depth is 6.3 m, the average depth is 1.6 m. The volume of the lake is 0.118 km³. It is 16.4 km long and 7.6 km wide. The shoreline is 55.4 km long.
Łeba is crossed by the Łeba River, which flows into the Baltic Sea. It brings 11 m³ of water per second into the lake. Łebsko is a brackish water reservoir. Due to the short estuary between the lake and the sea, Łebsko receives regular inflows of salt water from the Baltic Sea. During this phenomenon, the salinity of the lake can reach up to 3‰. The reservoir is also connected by canals to Lake Garda and Lake Sarb. Due to its mictic type, the lake is classified as a polymictic lake, i.e. a lake with frequent mixing of water.
Flora of Lake Łebsko
The lake contains white water lily (Nymphaea alba L.) and yellow water lily (Nuphar lutea). The pelagic zone has numerous plants of the genera water-rush and water-rush, especially Potamogeton perfoliatus L. In the shallow coastal zone there are stands of lake reed (Schoenoplectus lacustris) and common reed (Phragmites australis). The reed stands are over 100 m wide in places. Many bird species find refuge in the reeds.
