Limnol. Rev., Volume 12, Issue 1 (March 2012) – 5 articles , Pages 3-44

One of the most important elements in the protection of water quality is buffer zones. In order to protect water quality, appropriate management of these areas is necessary. In the paper, changes in the land use in the buffer zone of 200 m width around lakes in the Mała Wełna catchment over 20 years were analysed. For the study eight lakes larger than 50 ha were chosen. Changes in the land use within the buffer zone were studied from 1980 to 2000, based on topographic maps in the scale 1:10,000. Results show both positive and negative aspects of land changes. An increase in forested areas and grasslands through tilled land were positive aspects of these changes. On the other hand, the enhancement of suburban development in these zones caused increased probability of water pollution from these areas. Calculations of potential nutrient loading from different types of land use in these zones indicated an enhancement of nutrient sources in the lakes within the 20-year study period. However, these changes are not significant in comparison to the nutrient loads contributed by the tributaries. Our study indicated that in the case of flow lakes, more important is an improvement in water quality in the tributaries and a reduction in nutrient sources in the catchment with the purpose of reducing the input of nutrients into the lake. Management of the buffer zone is one of the issues which have to be taken into consideration in lake protection after elimination of the major water pollutant sources. Full article

High concentrations of nitrate and phosphate which was above the normal natural background levels which ranged between 1.4 mg L⁻¹ ± 0.1–6.4 mg L⁻¹ ± 0.3 and 0.7 mg L⁻¹ ± 0.0–2.2 mg L⁻¹ ± 0.2 were recorded in Oyun reservoir, Offa, Nigeria, a shallow tropical African reservoir. The relatively high nitrate and phosphate load was observed to have come from a non-point source of run-off of nitro-phosphate fertilizers from nearby farmlands into the reservoir. This resulted in slow cultural eutrophication. This was observed to have impacted on the catch and fish assemblages of the reservoir with high abundance and dominance of pelagic phytoplanktivorous fishes such as cichlids, while benthic and non-phytoplanktivorous species were found in low abundance. Other possible impacts of the eutrophication when it becomes accelerated were discussed. Measures to reduce the eutrophication in order to enhance adequate fish assemblages and management techniques for sustainable exploitation of the fisheries in the reservoir were suggested. Full article

We carried out a first study of Lake Baikal epiphyton on six species of submerged macrophytes: Myriophyllum spicatum L., Potamogeton perfoliatus L., Potamogeton sp., Sparganium gramineum Georgi, Ceratophyllum demersum L., and Elodea сanadensis Michaux. We identified 70 epiphyton species and intraspecific taxa belonging to 3 phyla, viz. Ochrophyta, Cyanobacteria, and Chlorophyta. Nine species of Cyanobacteria were new records for Lake Baikal. Epiphyton communities differing in species composition and quantitative characteristics grew on diverse species of submerged macrophytes. High levels of species richness were recorded on Sparganiumgramineum and Potamogeton sp., whereas low diversity of epiphyton was observed on Myriophyllum spicatum and Elodea canadensis. A monodominant community was revealed on the invasive Elodea canadensis represented by Cocconeis placentula var. placentula. Specific characteristics of morphology of submerged macrophytes influenced the structural organization and quantitative development of epiphyton. Epiphyton abundance and biomass were higher on upper sections of most plants than on lower sections, probably because of canopy shading of macrophyte lower portions. Full article

External water exchange of overflow lakes is presented as the integral indicator, defining the type of lake basin. Intensity of water replacement in the lake (K_w) determines many processes taking place in the lake and its drainage area. Simultaneously this process influences the runoff of the outflowing river. Among the processes in the lake, depending on K_w, transitory-accumulative possibilities, predominance of allochton and limnic processes, and the participation of K_w in forming trophic status are considered. Some examples of the dependence of the parameters of lake level distribution curves upon the K_w values are given. The problem of calculation of K_w for unexplored objects is also regarded. The text contains specific examples of the results of calculations and analysis. Full article

The aim of this study is to discuss the water balance of Kopalińskie Lake, which is one of a few reservoirs on the Polish coast formed from anthropogenic activity. To realize this aim, lake basin morphometry and catchment hydrography were characterized. Moreover, the influence of the sea and the physico-chemical characteristics of the lake water were defined. As a result, the main characteristics of the lake and its catchment were found. Common characteristics of Kopalińskie Lake, as well as the characteristics that differentiate this reservoir from the other coastal lakes located on the Polish coast are presented in this work. Full article