Abstract
Matter circulates in nature constantly, between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, exchanging elements between the biotope and biocenosis. Each aquatic ecosystem is resistant to a specific load, above which its degradation occurs. It seems that the resistance of cascade reservoirs is higher than that of drainless reservoirs. Changes taking place in one part of the river–lake system cause disturbances in the dynamics of nutrient circulation in another. Rivers supplying water to lakes in a river–lake system have a significant impact on their water quality and on the spatial distribution of pollutants in their bottom sediments and in macrophytes located along their route. The assimilation capabilities of cascading river–lake systems result from their reaction to environmental stressors in the form of anthropogenic factors. They act as natural biogeochemical barriers, limiting the transport of pollutants outside ecosystems. In-depth knowledge of the processes taking place in the river–lake systems enables analyses aimed at forecasting the directions and intensity of these changes and predicting the response of the river–lake systems to the loads from the catchment areas. The collected information makes it possible to create simulations of processes occurring in river–lake systems, which allows for effective action to be taken to protect surface waters. This article provides an overview of available literature, presenting significant research results which enable an understanding of these processes.
Highlights
Several studies from recent years, available in literature, have addressed very important issues concerning the effects of the specific features of these systems, i.e., their location within the environment, meteorological conditions prevailing in the catchment area, hydrological conditions, properties of the deposited bottom material and the effects of the organisms inhabiting it and of the presence of macrophytes in these aquatic ecosystems on the self-purification of surface waters
Due to their properties and location in the landscape, lakes are specific pollution traps. It seems that the degradation of lakes is only a local problem. In lake valleys, these reservoirs often occur in cascade sequences connected by rivers, making up river–lake systems [23]
Rivers flowing through lakes and their catchment areas influence the amount of inflowing water, mainly due to the presence of forest and marshy areas, which favour retention
Summary
Each aquatic ecosystem has a defined tolerance range to progressive human threats and climate change [2] The latter lead to the depletion of water resources [3] and a deterioration of their quality [4], which intensified the eutrophication process. Several studies from recent years, available in literature, have addressed very important issues concerning the effects of the specific features of these systems, i.e., their location within the environment, meteorological conditions prevailing in the catchment area, hydrological conditions, properties of the deposited bottom material and the effects of the organisms inhabiting it and of the presence of macrophytes in these aquatic ecosystems on the self-purification of surface waters
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