Taking an in-depth look at Scottish lochs

Charts showing the depths of fresh-water lochs in Scotland are the latest addition to the Maps section of our website's Digital Library. Produced as a result of the Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-water Lochs of Scotland - the first comprehensive survey of 562 inland lochs - between 1897 and 1909, these charts and the reports published with them placed Scotland at the forefront of organised lake studies ('limnology') and are still of major value today.

More than 230 zoomable colour images have been included in the web feature, and search facilities have been provided for all the lochs. One of these search methods is a pilot web-mapping application, using Ordnance Survey maps to locate lochs, which we are introducing on a trial basis. Users' feedback about the trial will help us develop this innovative application further. To see the charts, and for further information on the survey, go to: http://maps.nls.uk/bathymetric/

31 May 2004