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The Saimaa ringed seal
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Water level fluctutation
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Fluctuations in the water level of Lake Saimaa create problems for a mother seal feeding her pup in the lair. If the water level drops too much, the result could be a crack in the ice that would destroy the lair.
Another important factor is the water level of the lake. As already mentioned, the Saimaa ringed seal makes its lair on the ice quite close to the shore and makes a hole in the ice in the floor of the lair so that it can slide into the water. Fluctuations in the water level of Lake Saimaa create problems for a mother seal feeding her pup in the lair. If the water level drops too much, the result could be a crack in the ice that would destroy the lair. Or, if the
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water rises too much, the lair will flood. "This winter, the water level has stayed pretty stable," Koskela says.
Up to the 1980s regulatory adjustments lowered the water level in Lake Saimaa during several winters. Today, the breeding habits of the ringed seal are taken into account when water level adjustments are being planned.
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