Hydrochemical Characteristics of the Upper Volga Reservoirs in the Low-Water Season of 1997

The results of studies of the Ivankovo, Uglich, Rybinsk, and Gorkii reservoirs are analyzed. The studies involved a wide range of hydrochemical (salt composition, biogenic elements, organic matter, oil products, and heavy metals) and hydrophysical characteristics in the summer low-water period. The concentrations of organic matter and major biogenic elements are shown to decrease downstream along the chain of reservoirs with a respective general decrease in the trophic status. Large built-up areas located downstream of the Rybinsk Hydroelectric Plant are shown to adversely affect the river water quality.     

The effect of geographic factors on the primary production of lacustrine and terrestrial ecosystems

It is shown that, with increasing latitude, the primary production of lakes increasingly lags behind the primary production of land, with a resulting strengthening of the dependence of aquatic ecosystems on allochthonous input of biogenic and organic substances. An ecological model is presented, which allows the primary production of terrestrial and lacustrine ecosystems to be predicted given the geographic coordinates and climatic characteristics.     

Current State of Water Resources of Gusinoe Lake (Western Transbaikalia)

Seasonal and spatial dynamics of the concentrations of major ions, biogenic elements, organic matter, and microelements in Gusinoe Lake water are studied. The economic activity on lake coast has caused an increase in the concentrations of sulfate, sodium, and biogenic and organic matter in areas subject to direct technogenic impact. Lake areas subject to different technogenic impacts were found to differ in water mineralization and pH and the concentrations of microelements. The concentrations of Mo and Sr in lake water are 12–14 and 2–4 times greater than Russian MACs for water bodies used for fishery, respectively.     

Limnological investigation of biogenic silica sedimentation and silica biogeochemistry in Lake St. Moritz and Lake Zürich

Biogenic silica concentrations were determined from core samples of laminated sediments collected from Lake Zürich and Lake St. Moritz and used to calculate rates of biogenic silica sedimentation. In Lake Zürich biogenic silica sedimentation increased from 65 g SiO₂·^?2·yr^?1 in 1894 to nearly 900 g SiO₂·m^?2·yr^?1 in 1896 and in Lake St. Moritz biogenic silica sedimentation increased about 6-fold during the 1930s. Both periods of increased biogenic silica flux followed increased loadings of domestic sewage to the lakes. In Lake Zürich the period of increased flux only lasted for a few years whereas in Lake St. Moritz high fluxes were maintained to the top of the core. In Lake Zürich increased production and sedimentation of diatoms could be maintained only until the silca reservoir in the water mass was depleted whereas in Lake St. Moritz (0.10 year residence time and a mean depth of 25 m) diatom production and sedimentation was maintained at a high level by rapid replenishment of silica from tributary inputs. Although historical patterns of biogenic silica sedimentation differed for the two lakes, it is hypothesized that increased biogenic silica deposition in both lakes occurred because diatom production was stimulated by phosphorus enrichment of the water mass and that the silica biogeochemistry of both lakes was affected as a result.     

The Role of Collecting Drainage Systems in the Formation of Chemical Composition of Lake Water in the Amu Darya Lower Reaches

As shown, drainage escape water forms a large category of surface water of the Amu Darya lower reaches, whose runoff varies from year to year and salinity varies within a year and over the period of many years. It is found that main collecting drains of the Amu Darya lower reaches are essential suppliers of salts and biogenic elements to lakes. The quality of drainage escape water is shown to be the basic factor of formation of the biological regime of limnetic ecosystems, and the migration of biogenes and large quantities of salts is shown to favor the formation of limnetic systems, which have a considerable level of pollution and are subjected to eutrophication.     

Biotransformation of Organogenic Substances in the Aniva Bay Waters: Assessment with the Use of Mathematical Modeling

Mathematical modeling is used to study the conditions of natural biotransformation of biogenic element compounds (containing C, N, P, Si) in five areas within Aniva Bay. The input data for the model are evaluated with the use of GIS “Sakhalin Shelf” and the available reference literature on the bay oceanography. Water masses that transferred through the boundaries between the areas were evaluated based on the values of water level, river runoff, atmospheric precipitation, evaporation, and the volume of water in the bay, all of which vary as a result of water heating. The model was used to evaluate annual variations in the concentrations of organic and mineral fractions of these elements and the biomasses of planktonic organisms for the five areas in the bay. Modeling results also allowed the assessment of biogenic substance input with river runoff into Lososei Bay. Based on the internal fluxes of substances, the monthly and annual aquatic animal production was evaluated.     

Relationships between the Concentrations of Phyto-Pigments,Nitrogen, and Phosphorus in Bottom Deposits of Water Reservoirs

Samples characterizing the horizontal distribution of bottom deposits of different types in the Upper Volga reservoirs were used to study the statistical relationship between the indicators of the potential and actual trophy of water bodies. These indicators are the amount of biogenic elements (the total nitrogen and phosphorus) and phyto-pigments (in the dry and wet masses of soil and in its organic fraction). The relationship between the above indicators for the channel deposits from the Upper Volga reservoirs and for the deposits in the lake hollows is found to he linear.     

Concentration dynamics of biogenic elements and phytoplankton at Selenga R. Mouth and in Selenga shallows (Lake Baikal)

The seasonal and year-to-year dynamics of the concentrations of biogenic elements and organic matter, as well as quantitative composition of phytoplankton in water of Selenga delta branches is studied. The distribution of those components from the mouth of the Kharauz branch (the main branch) to the water area of the Selenga shallows in different hydrological seasons is shown. The concentrations of nitrate nitrogen and phosphate phosphorus in the zone of mixing of river and lake waters have been found to drop by 30 and 50%, respectively, because of the consumption of those substances by phytoplankton.     

Chemical stratification and stability of meromictic lakes in the Upper Romerike district

A number of lakes in Southeast Norway have developed biogenic meromixis and have typically also considerable concentrations of dissolved iron and manganese in the bottom waters. Eight such lakes are described. Products of biological decomposition like carbon dioxide, methane and some inorganic salts gave a difference in density between mixo- and monimolimnion and hence chemical stability to the lakes. The concentration of iron and manganese gave minor contributions to the density gradients, and these substances are regarded as less important for the stability because of their reduced solubility under oxic conditions. Quantitative expressions of wind influence on lake surfaces were obtained by calculation of the work of the wind during the heating season. These values were low compared with a more exposed lake in the same region. Water movements generated by the wind have eroding effects on the chemical stratification only during short periods of homothermy before icelaying. During the rest of the year the monimolimnion is protected by either thermal stratification or ice cover. During the autumnal partial circulation a substantial reduction in chemical stability took place. For some of the lakes it is assumed that full circulation may take place in years with favourable weather conditions.     

Functioning of the White Sea Ecosystem: Studying the Transformations of Organogenic Substances Using a Mathematical Model

Long-term observational data on hydrology, hydrochemistry, and hydrobiology are generalized and used for systems analysis of the biohydrochemical transformation processes of organic and biogenic substances in a marine environment. An ecological model with the systematized data is used to assess the annual dynamics of concentrations of organic and mineral N, P, and Si compounds and dissolved organic C and O₂ in eight water areas within the White Sea at specified conditions of water mass transport, river runoff, and water exchange with the Barents Sea. Variations in the biomasses of the major transformers of organic and biogenic substances (heterotrophic bacteria, phyto- and zooplankton, and microphytes) and their biological production were also evaluated. These characteristics serve as indicators of the state of the water environment, the presence of nutrients in it, and their import from outside.     

Suspended and Dissolved Forms of Nutrients: Their Relationships and Interaction in the Major Tributaries of the Caspian Sea

Normal annual data are used to evaluate the within-year variations in the concentrations of biogenic substances (organic and mineral components of N and P, dissolved organic carbon, inorganic Si) in the major tributaries of the Caspian Sea. Variations in the concentrations of biogenic substances are analyzed, the relationships between their mass concentrations in individual months are evaluated, and correlation between the organic and mineral components of N and P and their aggregated fractions are established. The obtained high-significance correlation between the concentrations of N and P components suggests that the rates of biochemical processes of biogenic substance transformation taking place in the water of tributaries are commensurable.     

A New Medium Free of Organic Carbon To Cultivate Organisms from Extremely Acidic Mining Lakes (pH 2.7)

An algal culture medium was developed which reflects the extreme chemical conditions of acidic mining lakes (pH 2.7, high concentrations of iron and sulfate) and remains stable without addition of organic carbon sources. It enables controlled experiments e.g. on the heterotrophic potential of pigmented flagellates in the laboratory. Various plankton organisms isolated from acidic lakes were successfully cultivated in this medium. The growth rates of a Chlamydomonas isolate from acidic mining lakes were assessed by measuring cell densities under pure autotrophic and heterotrophic conditions (with glucose as organic C‐source) and showed values of 0.74 and 0.40, respectively.     

Water renewal along the aquatic continuum offsets cumulative retention by lakes: implications for the character of organic carbon in boreal lakes

The character of organic carbon (OC) in lake waters is strongly dependent on the time water has spent in the landscape as well as in the lake itself due to continuous biogeochemical OC transformation processes. A common view is that upstream lakes might prolong the water retention in the landscape, resulting in an altered OC character downstream. We calculated the number of lakes upstream for 24,742 Swedish lakes in seven river basins spanning from 56º to 68º N. For each of these lakes, we used a lake volume to discharge comparison on a landscape scale to account for upstream water retention by lakes (T_{n tot}). We found a surprisingly weak relationship between the number of lakes upstream and T_{n tot}. Accordingly, we found that the coloured fraction of organic carbon was not related to lake landscape position but significantly related to T_{n tot} when we analysed lake water chemical data from 1,559 lakes in the studied river basins. Thus, we conclude that water renewal along the aquatic continuum by lateral water inputs offsets cumulative retention by lakes. Based on our findings, we suggest integrating T_{n tot} in studies that address lake landscape position in the boreal zone to better understand variations in the character of organic carbon across lake districts.     

Transformations of Organogenic Substances in the White Sea Ecosystem: Assessment Based on the Results of Mathematical Modeling

Methods of systems analysis and mathematical modeling are used to generalize hydrological, hydrochemical, and hydrobiological observational data with the aim to study the biohydrochemical conditions of organic and biogenic substance transformations in eight water areas in the White Sea. A hydroecological model describing transformations of N, P, and Si compounds and dissolved organic C, as well as the regime of O₂ was used as a means of the study. Water exchange between water areas was evaluated using a hydrodynamic model. Averaged data on annual variations in water temperature, illumination, and transparency, as well as run-off characteristics (water flow in river mouths and organic and biogenic matter concentrations in the river water entering the sea) were used to calculate the dynamics of organic and mineral compounds of nutrients in different areas of the sea. The principal attention is paid to the verification of the model against field observational data, assessment of the biomass development conditions of aquatic animals, analysis of model results regarding the turnover time of organic and mineral components, and the evaluation of balances of organic dissolved and particulate N and P forms.__________Translated from Vodnye Resursy, Vol. 32, No. 4, 2005, pp. 435–451.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Leonov, Filatov, Chicherina.     

Allochthonous and autochthonous organic matter in surface waters in Karelia

A relationship between indirect chemical indices of organic matter content of surface waters and light absorption in the visible and ultraviolet ranges is discussed. The allochthonous and autochthonous types of organic matter are found to essentially differ in the rate of light absorption. Techniques are proposed for the calculation of the concentrations of allochthonous and autochthonous organic matter by the integral rate of light consumption in the visible region and the bichromate oxidability of water, as well as by three indirect indices: chemical oxygen demand, permanganate oxidability, and water color index. The mean concentrations of allochthonous and autochthonous organic matter in large lakes (Ladoga, Onega, and Baikal) and in rivers and smaller water bodies in Karelia (>300 water objects) are analyzed. Allochthonous organic matter was found to predominate in most surface waters of Karelia (>80%), while allochthonous organic matter predominates only in lakes with a small specific catchment area (supposedly, <5) and in highly eutrophic lakes.     

Discharge of biogenic substances with river runoff in Selenga basin

Averaged many-year measurement data on the concentrations of mineral forms of biogenic elements are analyzed, and their total concentrations in the rivers of Selenga, Chikoi, Khilok, Uda, Dzhida, and Temnik are evaluated. The monthly variations of the concentrations of major biogenic substances are characterized, and their ratios within a year are determined. Characteristics of river water runoff and biogenic substance concentrations are used to evaluate their within-year discharge by rivers. Characteristic variations in the ratios between the total and mineral forms of biogenic elements discharged by rivers have been revealed. It is established that the share of mineral components in the total input into the Selenga delta N_tot and P_tot are 82 and 22%, respectively.     

Suspended sediment,nutrients, and chlorophyll in tropical floodplain lakes with different patterns of hydrological connectivity

The ecological functioning of floodplain lakes is largely influenced by the interaction with the river mainstem. In this study, seasonal variation in water chemistry and the relationship with the river conditions were compared between floodplain lakes that differ in the level of connection to the Usumacinta River, the largest river of Mesoamerica. Samples for suspended solids, nutrients, and chlorophyll a were collected through the year in lakes permanently connected to the river and in lakes that only received water from the Usumacinta for a short period during peak flow. Floodplain lakes showed higher total suspended solids than the river during the dry season while during the rainy season greater differences were observed between the river and the lakes, probably explained by higher concentrations in the river and greater sedimentation in the lakes. Greater organic matter content in the suspended solids was observed in the floodplain lakes, particularly in the more isolated lakes, likely related to high algal biomass. Nitrate concentrations were always higher in the river than in the lakes and lower nitrate concentrations occurred at the isolated lakes, suggesting that processes that remove nitrate occur through the year and are a common feature of floodplain lakes. Phosphorus in the connected lakes was higher than in the river only during the dry season, while in the isolated lakes concentrations were always greater than in the river. Chlorophyll a concentrations were higher in the connected lakes than in the river only during the dry season, while the more isolated lakes exhibited higher values through the year, showing signs of eutrophication. Suspended organic matter, nitrate, and chlorophyll showed larger differences between lake and river sites in the more isolated lakes, probably related to greater water residence time and its influence on primary production. Less connected lakes are more vulnerable to flow alteration because the brief period of connection to the river can be compromised and the effects of eutrophication exacerbated.     

Anthropogenic changes in phytoplankton in lakes of the Kenti River system (Republic of Karelia)

The article presents the results of phytoplankton observations in lakes of the Kenti River system, which have been long subjected to the anthropogenic impact of processing wastewaters from the Kostomuksha Mining and Processing Works. Specific features of changes in the abundance and biomass of different systematic groups of phytoplankton as well as dimensional and species structure of phytoplankton communities are discussed. These changes are caused by the intensification of anthropogenic impact on lake ecosystems, in particular, by an increase in water mineralization and its content of biogenic substances, as well as by changes in the ion composition of water.     

Organic matter in the water of lakes near the Lower Amur floodplain

The concentration and dynamics of organic matter in the Lower Amur water and near-floodplain lakes in the period of spring-summer flood and summer high low-flow period are described on the basis of hydrochemical and hydrological studies carried out in 2004–2005. The contribution of lakes to the organic component of Amur water is shown to vary within wide limits and depend on allochthonous and autochthonous processes as well as on the phase of Amur water regime.