Most water enters the lake by direct deposition of snow and leaves by evaporation and seepage.
The lake has extremely low nutrient inputs and organic production. As a consequence, it is also one of the clearest lakes in the world. Primary production in the lake is limited by nitrogen, with a nutricline present below 250 m. Maximum chlorophyll concentrations occur at 100-120m, while maximum primary production occurs between 40 and 80m. Most phytoplankton and zooplankton species live between 80 and 200 m.