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Lakes in mountainous areas are of special interest in environmentalstudies because such takes are generally particularly sensitive to inputs of atmospheric pollution and to changes in climate. Mountain lakes provide, therefore, an early warning of more widespread environmental changes. Surveys of lake-water chemistry in mountain areas in Norway, and mountain areas elsewhere in Europe which have crystalline bedrock, clearly show that such lakes are generally very dilute with low concentrations of base cations, alkalinity and SO42-. Mountain lakes also have low concentrations of total-P and TOC. The low concentrations of inorganic and organic ions are due to several factors of which low weathering rates, thin soils, high water fluxes and sparse vegetation in the catchment are of major importance. N03- concentrations on the other hand, are often higher in mountain lakes relative to low elevation lakes in the same area, due to the lower retention capacity of atmosphericallydeposited N in mountain catchments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]