Hydrodynamical effects on spatial distribution of enteric bacteria in the Jordan River—Lake Kinneret contact zone

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine under what hydrodynamic conditions the change in the number of enteric bacteria in the water of the River Jordan–Lake Kinneret contact zone was due to sedimentation and under what conditions the change was due to dilution. The data were then utilized to build a conceptual model explaining the distribution of biological pollutants (bacteria) in the river–lake contact zone of a shallow tropical lake. The study uses, as an example, the microbial communities of the River Jordan–Lake Kinneret contact zone. The changes in numbers of three groups of bacteria (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) along the jet flow agree well with changes in the concentration of suspended particulate matter, caused by the sedimentation of particles.