Search Results (9)

Comprehensive morphometric and hydrometeorological studies on Bacalar Lagoon, Mexico’s largest tropical karstic lake and a significant aquatic system of the Yucatán Peninsula, are lacking. This study provides a detailed analysis of its bathymetry, morphometry, and hydrometeorological characteristics. The lake’s main basin stretches more than 52.7 km in length, with widths varying from 0.18 km to 2.28 km. It has a volume of 554.4 million cubic meters, with an average depth of 8.85 m, reaching depths of up to 26 m in the north and featuring sub-lacustrine dolines in the south, with depths of 38 m, 48.5 m, and 63.6 m. The study reveals seasonal variations in surface water temperature, closely linked to air temperature (r = 0.89), and immediate responses of water levels to hydrometeorological events. Water level fluctuations also exhibit seasonal patterns that are correlated with regional aquifer conditions, with a lag of 2 months after seasonal rainfall. Interannual variability in rainfall and water levels was observed. From 2010 to 2012, rainfall consistently remained below its mean climatic value, due to a prolonged La Niña event, while the exceptionally wet conditions in 2020 were also associated with La Niña. Extreme and anomalous hydrometeorological events, such as those following tropical storm Cristobal in 2020, revealed the fragility of Bacalar Lagoon, causing a notable transformation in lake color and transparency, shifting it from its typical oligotrophic state to eutrophic conditions that lasted longer than a year. These color changes raise questions about the factors impacting ecological health in tropical karstic regions. Additional factors affecting water quality in the BL in 2020, such as deforestation, coastline changes, and urban growth, warrant further investigation. Our study can serve as a starting landmark. Full article

Global warming and altered precipitation patterns are predicted to intensify the water loss in semi-arid and arid regions, and such regions in Turkey will be particularly affected. Moreover, water abstraction, not least for irrigation purposes, is expected to increase markedly, posing major threats to the water balance of the lakes and thus their biodiversity. Among the closed basins in Turkey, the Burdur Closed Basin (BCB), located in the southwest of Turkey, is expected to be most affected. The BCB includes several types of aquatic ecosystems which support high biodiversity, including one Ramsar site, six Important Bird Areas, and a considerable richness of native and endemic fish species. Therefore, it is essential to analyze the potential environmental impacts of climate change and increased water abstraction on BCB lakes and their biotic communities. Here, we combined historical data on ecosystems as well as meteorological, remote sensing, and ground-truth data to analyze the changes in the temperature and precipitation of the BCB, water surface areas, and land use, as well as the potential effects on waterbird and fish communities. We calculated the water budget to elucidate water availability in the basin over the last few decades and predicted future conditions based on rainfall and temperature forecasts using climate models. The Standardized Precipitation–Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) was used to relate the water surface area to precipitation and temperature change in the basin. Crop-farming irrigation in the BCB has increased notably since 2004, leading to intensive water abstraction from the lakes and their inflows, as well as from ground water, to meet the increased demand for irrigation. The water abstraction from the lakes, inflows to the lakes, and the groundwater in the basin has increased the water loss in the catchment substantially. Remotely sensed data on lake surface areas showed a major shrinkage of shallow lakes in the last 40 years. Moreover, the largest lake in the basin, Lake Burdur, lost nearly half of its surface area, which is worrisome since the shallower areas are the most suitable for supporting high biodiversity. Climate models (CNRM-ESM2-1GCM for temperature and GFDL-ESM4-GCM for precipitation) suggest that from 2070, the BCB will face long-term, moderate-to-severe dry periods. This, and the increased demand for water for irrigation, along with climate change, may accelerate the drying of these lakes in the near future with devastating effects on the lake ecosystems and their biodiversity. Full article

The paper discusses the impact of lake morphometric parameters on the thermal structure of water during the period of summer stagnation. The summer period in the lakes is characterized by clearly expressed properties of the thermal structure of water, differentiating lakes from one another. The study was carried out on 141 lakes in northern Poland, for which at least 3 vertical water temperature measurements were taken in different years. They showed a significant influence of lake basin morphometry upon the thermal structure of water in lakes. In general, measurements of the vertical distribution of water temperature showed clear diversity, and depending on the depth also thermal layers (epi-, meta- and hypolimnion). The results of the analysis of 8 lake morphometric parameters and 10 thermal stratification parameters revealed the existence of significant dependencies between them. The best-preserved relations (statistically significant) occurred between the parameters characterizing the lake depth and meta- and hypolimnion properties, as well as the thermal stratification factor and heat content in a unit of volume. Full article

Cyanobacterial blooms increasingly impair inland waters, with the potential for a concurrent increase in cyanotoxins that have been linked to animal and human mortalities. Microcystins (MCs) are among the most commonly detected cyanotoxins, but little is known about the distribution of different MC congeners despite large differences in their biomagnification, persistence, and toxicity. Using raw-water intake data from sites around the Great Lakes basin, we applied multivariate canonical analyses and regression tree analyses to identify how different congeners (MC-LA, -LR, -RR, and -YR) varied with changes in meteorological and nutrient conditions over time (10 years) and space (longitude range: 77°2′60 to 94°29′23 W). We found that MC-LR was associated with strong winds, warm temperatures, and nutrient-rich conditions, whereas the equally toxic yet less commonly studied MC-LA tended to dominate under intermediate winds, wetter, and nutrient-poor conditions. A global synthesis of lake data in the peer-reviewed literature showed that the composition of MC congeners differs among regions, with MC-LA more commonly reported in North America than Europe. Global patterns of MC congeners tended to vary with lake nutrient conditions and lake morphometry. Ultimately, knowledge of the environmental factors leading to the formation of different MC congeners in freshwaters is necessary to assess the duration and degree of toxin exposure under future global change. Full article

Scientists became professionally interested in Polish lakes in the early 1850s. They focused predominantly upon the measurements of depth, observations of water stages, optical properties, and water temperature. The first systematic observations of surface water temperature were carried out in 1956. At present these measurements are conducted in 29 lakes. Investigations of the vertical distribution of water temperature were initiated in the interwar period and they contributed to a better recognition of the processes and factors conditioning dynamics of water masses. In general, measurements of water temperature have constituted fundamental observations with respect to the studies of yearly and daily courses of the temperature of surface water and the entire water mass, the influence of basin morphometry upon water thermal conditions, heat balance and heat resources, thermal conditions of bottom deposits and thermal classification of the lakes. The introduction of automatic gradient probes gave a new impulse to the investigations of water temperature in the lakes. The foundation of the Polish Limnological Society in 2001 and 18 national and international limnological conferences stimulated integration of the circle of limnologists. Specialist journals (Limnological Review, Studia Limnologica et Telmatologica) have presented around 40 publications with the leading theme of water temperature. Full article

The spatial variation of water transparency of the largest Polish lakes was presented on the basis of documentary material collected by the Voivodeship Inspectorates for Environment Protection as well as university geography departments in the period of 1991–2013. Seasonal results of the Secchi disc measurements (spring, summer) for 706 lakes were gathered. This is more than 68% of the total number of Polish lakes with a surface area larger than 50 ha. The mean water transparency of these lakes was 1.87 m, while the median was 1.58 m. Distinct inter-regional differences of the Secchi disc transparency were found, and it was also possible to distinguish three relatively homogeneous groups of macroregions where lakes have different optical characteristics. They can be divided into areas with lakes with high (3.05 m), medium (1.99–2.11 m) and low (1.22–1.52 m) water transparency. The Secchi disc transparency of these lakes was also analysed in relation to concentration values of the main forms of the optically significant constituents of water (coloured dissolved organic matter, suspended matter). The mean transparency of turbid, stained and clear lakes was, respectively, 1.16, 2.02, and 2.92 m. Moreover, regional empirical models to predict Secchi disc transparency from chlorophyll a concentration were also developed. It was assumed that inter-regional differences between models could be due to the probably different time of the ice sheet recession. The influence of the lake morphometry was most fully reflected in the impact of the depth conditions. Full article

The paper presents the changes that have occurred in the morphometry of Lakes Gopło and Ostrowskie, which are located in central Poland. The analysis covered the period characterised by increased human interference into the water cycle, which has been taking place continually since the mid-eighteenth century. On the basis of available cartographic materials (aerial photographs, topographic maps, bathymetric charts of the lakes) and the authors’ own field measurements digital terrain models were developed for the immediate environment of the surveyed lakes. These models, in turn, were used for measuring basic parameters characterising the external dimensions of the lakes (surface area, length and maximum width, shoreline length) and their underwater relief (volume, maximum and average depth). In addition, the selected indicators of the shape and form of the lake basins were determined. The results showed a drastic reduction of water resources of the two lakes. The basin of Lake Gopło covers only the deepest parts of the former reservoir, accounting for only 23.3% of the lake before 1772, and 32.5% of its former volume. In the case of Lake Ostrowskie the surface area and volume decreased, respectively, by 23.5% (74.9 ha) and 21.3% (6,695,000 m³). Such large changes in surface area and volume of both lakes have contributed to significant changes in other morphometric parameters and indicators. In particular, significant changes were observed in relation to such morphometric characteristics as length and maximum width, as well as average and maximum depth. Full article

The research was carried out in three Łęczna-Włodawa lake-catchment systems, during the hydrological years 2007–2009. The observed lakes varied in terms of basin morphometry and catchment features. The hydrological functioning of the lakes resulted from three main factors: (1) storage capacity of the lake basin, (2) catchment area and relief, (3) human impact on water distribution. The vertical water exchange ratio in Lake Sumin was almost four-times higher than flushing time. In Lakes Rotcze and Syczyńskie horizontal water exchange, presented as flushing time was significantly higher than the vertical one. 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