![]() The spatial variability of lake surface water temperature (LSWT) between smooth and rough surface areas and its potential association with the natural surfactant distribution in the surface microlayer were investigated for the first time in a lake. Since frontal slicks are easy to observe and track, they can provide valuable information about mesoscale dynamics in lakes, which at present are poorly understood. In situ field measurements provided evidence that the observed slick was located on the warm side of the predicted thermal front. Three‐dimensional numerical modeling and satellite imagery showed that due to the interaction of mesoscale gyres and eddies with coastal upwelling, a thermal front was generated in the area where the frontal slick was observed. This study, carried out in Lake Geneva, documents for the first time the existence of a submesoscale (∼10 km) frontal slick in a lake. Among the floating materials, biosurfactants create smooth surface areas (slicks) by suppressing capillary gravity waves, thus allowing visual detection of fronts in remote imaging. Fronts are important because they can modify the lateral transport of surface material and the exchange between near‐surface and deeper layers. These interactions can lead to the formation of fronts that are zones of convergence and downwelling, leaving floating materials to concentrate on the surface. Near‐surface currents in lakes are affected by interactions of structures of different scales, such as gyres, eddies and coastal upwelling. ![]()
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