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SUMMARY
The Coulter Counter has been employed with success to estimate the number and sizes of suspended particles in seawater. In the present study this method was applied to Wuras Dam, a turbid man made lake south of Bloemfontein.
High concentrations of larger clay sized particles occur in the inflow water as well as in the water of the dam proper. Fractionation of particles between ca 1 and 2 pm in diameter have been achieved, and a higher concentration of small sized particles (ca 1 μm) occurred in the dam water while the concentration of the larger particles (1,69 to 2,03 μm) was lower.
Surface area estimations were made for each size fraction. A considerable surface area (ca 163 m2 m−3) was associated with the investigated suspended particles in Wuras Dam. This might be of extreme importance for the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the dam. The limnological importance of the suspended particles is briefly discussed.