Ägelsee
| Ägelsee | ||
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| Ägelsee | ||
| Geographical location | Aargau , Switzerland | |
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| Coordinates | 633 153 / 268 471 | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 339 m above sea level M. | |
The Ägelsee ( Swiss German : [ ˈæːɡlseː ]), also Egelsee , is a small dead lake in the municipality of Zeiningen , Canton Aargau , Switzerland . The approximately 7500 m² nature reserve is an amphibian spawning area of national importance.
location
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The lake is 339 m above sea level. M. in a hollow in the middle of the wide "Möhliner Feld" between the communities Wallbach and Möhlin in the high Rhine plain . The access to the nature reserve is via small dirt roads.
Emergence
Formation of the dead lake
During the Riss glaciation around 140,000 years ago, the Möhliner Feld formed the most north-westerly point of the Alpine glaciation. At that time, a mighty glacier tongue or terminal moraine extended over the area .
With global warming and the end of the Ice Age, the glaciers began to melt and gradually retreated. Since the ice does not thaw evenly, especially in areas with locally increased ice thickness (e.g. in tongue basins), more or less large blocks remained in the formerly ice-covered area. Melt water flowing in from the active glacier deposited sediment material next to and finally above the ice blocks . So the ice became dead ice . As the subsurface melted, the surface slowly sagged over the dead ice, whereupon a dead ice kettle formed. This then filled with surface water . The several meters thick layer of clay under the lake ensured good insulation.
Risk of silting up
Since the lake has no inflow or outflow and is only fed by surface water, the risk of silting up is very high. Most of the dead ponds, especially the smaller and shallower ones, are already completely silted up. In the 1970s, this was almost the case with Lake Ägelsee. The fertile Möhliner Feld area around the lake, which is used intensively for agriculture, kept getting fertilizer into the lake. Due to the high nutrient content in the lake, there was excessive vegetation. Due to the rotting plant material, an increasing layer of silt formed on the lake bed over time.
Thanks to a major renovation Total 1978 - 1979 , the lake was saved from complete silting. Since then, the Ägelsee has been regularly maintained. In order to prevent silting up, further renovation measures will also be essential in the future.
Flora and fauna
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The nature reserve offers the habitat of many animal and plant species.
Already in spring practically the entire surface of the lake is densely covered with small duckweed . The dense vegetation caused by the aquatic plants that the environment resp. the sunlight is almost not reflected in the lake, which gives the Ägelsee an unusual dullness.
All sorts of algae as well as flowering aquatic and marsh plants thrive in and around the lake. Mainly reeds and cattails grow in the bank area . In the eastern part of the lake, individual trees are permanently in the water.
A large number of water frogs and other small amphibian species live in and around the Ägelsee . The large population of insects provides food for many bird species. The nature reserve is also valued as a breeding site by the little grebe , moorhen and red- backed shrike. Other bird species that can be regularly observed are the reed warbler , the little grebe and numerous other songbirds .
Other nature reserves nearby
- Breitsee ( Flachmoor , 1.5 km northwest)
- Haumättli ( floodplain area on the Rhine, 2.4 km north)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ordinance on the protection of amphibian spawning areas of national importance: (PDF; 554 kB) , p. 18