Vanishing waters: water chemistry of temporary rock pools of the Western Ghats, India

Abstract

The freshwater rockpools support high endemic biodiversity but are poorly studied habitats in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. These freshwater rock pools are situated on outcrops at various elevations in the Western Ghats and are composed of different bedrocks such as laterite and basalt. We aimed to analyze the water quality, geographical position based differences in the water chemistry and the role of bedrock in determining the water chemistry of the rock pools. Our study showed a wide range of water quality variables such as pH, conductivity, and ionic contents that attributed to the natural variation. We observed a drastic variation in the anions and cations at low elevation pools. Rock type and precipitation are influencing the ionic concentration; for example, Calcium and Bromide could be attributed to the seasonal precipitation and geomorphology. This documentation of physicochemical properties of the Western Ghats rock pools can form a baseline for further detailed studies.

Phylosophical Essay on the Traditional Knowledge and Use of Rock Pools in the Brazilian Drylands: Memory and Identity in Temporary Ecosystems

“…Among the leading traditional storage technologies, rock pools inserted into rocky natural or artificial fissures represent a natural source of rainfall storage (Pereira et al, 2018), including all temporary depressions found in rocky substrates that accumulate freshwater (Brendonck et al, 2010). In worldwide scale, rock pools are considered important hotspots of biodiversity (Porembski et al, 2016;Kulkarni et al 2022).…”