Hydro‐Chemical Conditions of Shaping the Water Quality of Shallow Łęczna‐Włodawa Lakes (Eastern Poland)

Abstract

Although water quality has been the main concern of ecologists over the last decades, a deterioration of both the quality and quantity of water has been observed worldwide. Understanding the dominant processes shaping eutrophication processes is crucial to sustainable water management in lake catchments. The aim of the study was to determine the importance of elements of lake‐catchment system structures in the processes of shaping lake water quality. The values of loads delivered to the lake basins from their catchments as well as nutrient output were calculated on the basis of stream discharge and nutrient concentration. A range of hydro‐chemical influences of each stream was presented by means of a range of a radius. A model of nutrient transport (prepared in GIS software) was used in the catchment of a lake without tributaries. Additionally, phytoplankton abundance and water quality indices were calculated. The results showed a clear pattern for the following lakes, Syczyńskie > Pniówno > Chuteckie > Tarnowskie, in terms of nutrient load as well as water quality. The hydro‐chemical influence of lake tributaries was determined by runoff processes, which reflected catchment geology, relief, and flushing time. The Q index showed a good ecological status for lakes Chuteckie and Tarnowskie, moderate for Lake Pniówno, and poor for Lake Syczyńskie.

Impact of lake‐catchment processes on phytoplankton community structure in temperate shallow lakes

“…Ionic retention in both lakes was positive for each measured nutrient (Ferencz et al, 2017), which may suggest that advanced eutrophication was a consequence of high loads of nutrient input. Ionic retention in both lakes was positive for each measured nutrient (Ferencz et al, 2017), which may suggest that advanced eutrophication was a consequence of high loads of nutrient input.…”

“…Ionic retention in both lakes was positive for each measured nutrient (Ferencz et al, 2017), which may suggest that advanced eutrophication was a consequence of high loads of nutrient input. However, this pattern has not been confirmed in the lakes studied, among which the highest groundwater recharge occurred in Lake Syczyńskie, Chart with Lake Syczyńskie on the basis of data from Toporowska and Pawlik-Skowrońska (2014) favoured by a high share of carbonate sediments , whereas the ecological state of the lake was poor (Ferencz et al, 2017). However, statistically significant differences among nutrient concentrations in all the lakes studied were found only for P-PO 4 and TP.…”

“…We found that the high phytoplankton biomass and cyanobacterial blooms driven by the eutrophication of Lakes Pniówno and Syczyńskie resulted from very specific and very complex lake-catchment processes. Ionic retention in both lakes was positive for each measured nutrient (Ferencz et al, 2017), which may suggest that advanced eutrophication was a consequence of high loads of nutrient input. As a result, very high concentrations of nutrients in lake's waters were observed.…”

“…Run-off and groundwater recharge influence hydrochemistry in the catchment scale (Smart et al, 2001;Soulsby, Tetzlaff, Rodgers, Dunn, & Walrdon, 2006). However, this pattern has not been confirmed in the lakes studied, among which the highest groundwater recharge occurred in Lake Syczyńskie, Chart with Lake Syczyńskie on the basis of data from Toporowska and Pawlik-Skowrońska (2014) favoured by a high share of carbonate sediments , whereas the ecological state of the lake was poor (Ferencz et al, 2017). This suggests that the role of catchment area in shaping phytoplankton assemblages, water quality, and lake functioning is more important than catchment geology.…”

“…Cyanobacterial proliferation causes progressive degradation of surface freshwater quality, for example, by lowering water transparency, toxin production, and causing oxygen depletion during the bloom collapse phase (Chorus, 2012;Ferencz, Toporowska, Dawidek, & Sobolewski, 2017;Pearl & Huisman, 2008). Cyanobacterial blooms are of growing global concern (Kobos et al, 2013;Scholz, Esterhuizen-Londt, & Pflugmacher, 2017) because cyanotoxins pose a risk to aquatic ecosystems and their users (Chorus, 2012;World Health Organization, 2008).…”