Mean depth can be a more useful indicator than maximum depth for many ecological purposes. Unfortunately, accurate mean depth figures are only available for well-studied lakes, as they must be calculated by dividing the lake"s volume by its surface area.[9] A reliable volume figure requires a bathymetric survey.[9] Therefore, mean depth figures are not available for many deep lakes in remote locations.[9] The average lake on Earth has the mean depth 41.8 meters (137.14 feet)[9]
The Caspian Sea ranks much further down the list on mean depth, as it has a large continental shelf (significantly larger than the oceanic basin that contains its greatest depths).
Of the 127 registered lakes; 67 are known to be cryptodepressions. These include: Vostok[3][10] (subglacial surface), Concordia (subglacial surface), (Caspian Sea[2]) (subsea surface), Dead Sea (subsea surface) and Jökulsárlón[7] (glacial lagoon estuary). The remaining 60 lakes have got their entire basin above the sea level.
This list contains all lakes whose mean depth is reliably known to exceed 100 metres (328 ft).
Note: Lake depths often vary depending on sources. The depths used here are the most reliable figures available in recent sources. See the articles on individual lakes for more details and data sources.
^ abLake Baikal is also the largest freshwater lake by volume.
^ abcThe Caspian Sea is generally regarded by geographers, biologists and limnologists as a huge inland salt lake. However, the Caspian"s large size means that for some purposes it is better modeled as a sea. Geologically, the Caspian, Black, and Mediterranean seas are small oceans, remnants of the ancient Tethys. Politically, the distinction between a sea and a lake may affect how the Caspian is treated by international law.
^ abCrater Lake in Oregon has a maximum depth of 863m, based on its USGS benchmark surface elevation of 1883m. The US National Park Service publishes different values (1881m for surface elevation, and 592m for the maximum depth). The technical basis of the values determined by the USGS is documented in Bacon, C. R.; Gardner, J. V.; Mayer, L. A.; Buktenica, M. W.; Dartnell, P.; Ramsey, D. W.; Robinson, J. E. (2002). "Morphology, volcanism, and mass wasting in Crater Lake, Oregon". GSA Bulletin. 114 (6): 675–692. Bibcode:2002GSAB..114..675B. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(2002)114<0675:MVAMWI>2.0.CO;2. ISSN0016-7606. OCLC4642976847, 196656627. Retrieved 2013-07-08.675-692&rft.date=2002&rft.issn=0016-7606&rft_id=info:doi/10.1130/0016-7606(2002)114<0675:MVAMWI>2.0.CO;2&rft_id=info:bibcode/2002GSAB..114..675B&rft.au=Bacon,+C.+R.&rft.au=Gardner,+J.+V.&rft.au=Mayer,+L.+A.&rft.au=Buktenica,+M.+W.&rft.au=Dartnell,+P.&rft.au=Ramsey,+D.+W.&rft.au=Robinson,+J.+E.&rft_id=http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/114/6/675&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:List+of+lakes+by+depth" class="Z3988">(subscription required)
^ abcdMurdie, Ruth E.; Pugh, David T.; Styles, Peter; Muñoz, Miguel (1999), "Heatflow, Temperature and Bathymetry of Lago General Carrera and Lago Cochrane, Southern Chile"(PDF), Extended Extracts of the Fourth International Symposium on Andean Geodynamics, Gottingen, Germany 04-06/10/1999, Paris: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, pp. 539–542539-542&rft.pub=Institut+de+Recherche+pour+le+Développement&rft.date=1999&rft.aulast=Murdie&rft.aufirst=Ruth+E.&rft.au=Pugh,+David+T.&rft.au=Styles,+Peter&rft.au=Muñoz,+Miguel&rft_id=http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers09-03/010022648.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:List+of+lakes+by+depth" class="Z3988">
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxWalter K. Dodds; Matt R. Whiles (23 September 2010). Freshwater Ecology: Concepts and Environmental Applications of Limnology. Academic Press. pp. 141–142. ISBN978-0-12-374724-2. Retrieved 22 February 2012.141-142&rft.pub=Academic+Press&rft.date=2010-09-23&rft.isbn=978-0-12-374724-2&rft.au=Walter+K.+Dodds&rft.au=Matt+R.+Whiles&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ht4O0Uez3KAC&pg=PA141&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:List+of+lakes+by+depth" class="Z3988">
^Degens, E.T.; Wong, H.K.; Kempe, S.; Kurtman, F. (June 1984), "A geological study of Lake Van, eastern Turkey", International Journal of Earth Sciences, 73 (2), Springer: 701–734, Bibcode:1984GeoRu..73..701D, doi:10.1007/BF01824978, S2CID128628465701-734&rft.date=1984-06&rft_id=https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:128628465#id-name=S2CID&rft_id=info:doi/10.1007/BF01824978&rft_id=info:bibcode/1984GeoRu..73..701D&rft.aulast=Degens&rft.aufirst=E.T.&rft.au=Wong,+H.K.&rft.au=Kempe,+S.&rft.au=Kurtman,+F.&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:List+of+lakes+by+depth" class="Z3988">
^ abcdCael, B. B.; Heathcote, A. J.; Seekell, D. A. (2017). "The volume and mean depth of Earth"s lakes". Geophysical Research Letters. 44 (1): 209–218. Bibcode:2017GeoRL..44..209C. doi:10.1002/2016GL071378. hdl:1912/8822. ISSN1944-8007. S2CID132520745. Archived from the original on 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-09-11.209-218&rft.date=2017&rft_id=info:hdl/1912/8822&rft_id=https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:132520745#id-name=S2CID&rft_id=info:bibcode/2017GeoRL..44..209C&rft.issn=1944-8007&rft_id=info:doi/10.1002/2016GL071378&rft.aulast=Cael&rft.aufirst=B.+B.&rft.au=Heathcote,+A.+J.&rft.au=Seekell,+D.+A.&rft_id=https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/2016GL071378&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:List+of+lakes+by+depth" class="Z3988">