Abstract
Recently there have been reports about large accumulations of algae on the beaches of Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest freshwater body on earth, near major population centers and in areas with large concentrations of tourists and tourism infrastructure. To evaluate the observations indicating the ongoing process of eutrophication of Lake Baikal, a field study in July 2012 in the two largest bays of Lake Baikal, Barguzinsky and Chivyrkuisky, was organized. The study of phytoplankton using the sedimentary method and quantitative records of accumulations of macrophytes in the surf zone was made. In Chivyrkuisky Bay, we found the massive growth of colorless flagellates and cryptomonads as well as the aggregations ofElodea canadensisalong the sandy shoreline (up to 26 kg/m2). Barguzinsky Bay registered abundantly cyanobacterialAnabaenaspecies, cryptomonads, and extremely high biomass ofSpirogyraspecies (up to 70 kg/m3). The results show the presence of local but significant eutrophication of investigated bays. To prevent further extensions of this process in unique ecosystem of Lake Baikal, the detailed study and monitoring of the coastal zone, the identification of the sources of eutrophication, and the development of measures to reduce nutrient inputs in the waters are urgently needed.
Highlights
Lake Baikal, in southeastern Siberia, is the oldest and deepest freshwater body on earth, containing ca. 20% of the world’s liquid freshwater. It is known for its specific abiotic characteristics such as high oxygen content throughout the water column and a stable low water temperature with a long seasonal ice cover of the lake surface
Despite the enormous temperature buffering capacity of the large water body, it has already been estimated that global and regional warming has caused a 1.21∘C increase in the average surface water temperature in the past 60 years [1], a rate twice that of the global average, and the ice-free season has lengthened by 16.1 days between 1868 and 1995 [2]
We found that E. canadensis dominates the southern part of the bay, forming massive accumulations in the surf zone near the edge of the water, with a biomass of up to 26 kg/m2 in wet weight (Figure 5)
Summary
Lake Baikal, in southeastern Siberia, is the oldest and deepest freshwater body on earth, containing ca. 20% of the world’s liquid freshwater (equivalent to all North American Great Lakes combined). 20% of the world’s liquid freshwater (equivalent to all North American Great Lakes combined). It is known for its specific abiotic characteristics such as high oxygen content throughout the water column and a stable low water temperature with a long seasonal ice cover of the lake surface. Despite the enormous temperature buffering capacity of the large water body, it has already been estimated that global and regional warming has caused a 1.21∘C increase in the average surface water temperature in the past 60 years [1], a rate twice that of the global average, and the ice-free season has lengthened by 16.1 days between 1868 and 1995 [2].
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