Frank C. W. Olson (1960) published his "System of Morphometry" after an initial presentation in 1953. His method of evaluating many of the morphometric parameters of lakes embodies simplicity, precision, and mathematical rigor. His system is a convenient method for calculating morphometric parameters without the more modern and sophisticated equipment (Hakanson 1981), and is therefore still appropriate for wide use.

The partitions of volume as calculated by Olson are arranged as a series of vertical components rather than horizontally by depth, by depth is usually needed for practical applications. This paper provides a modification for partitioning the volume of a lake into discrete horizontal strata to enhance its application to practical problems. Also, since Olson's system lends itself to computer programming, the system is resurrected and a program is available to enter the dat for computer calculations.