Sediment characteristics and water physicochemical parameters of the Lysimachia Lake, Western Greece

Abstract

In the present paper, we present the sedimentological characteristics and the water physicochemical parameters of Lysimachia Lake, which is one of the most important lakes of Western Greece, as it is protected by international conventions and is listed in the Natura 2000 European Network. Sedimentological analysis involved grain size analyses, moment measures, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) measurements, as well as determination of the clay minerals content. Water physicochemical parameters such as pH, temperature, conductivity and dissolved oxygen were measured in situ with portable equipment, while nutrients such as nitrates, nitrites, phosphates and ammonium ions, as well as TOC and TN were analyzed in a time period of 1 year seasonal monitoring. Geographical distribution of grain size and geochemical parameters indicated a clear partition in the northern and southern parts of the lake. This phenomenon can related to the discharging of a channel into the lake, the discharging of sewage effluents from Agrinio city during the last years as well as the type of clay minerals distribution. Clay minerals analyses indicated that smectite predominates in the northern part of the lake, whereas chlorite is more abundant in the southern parts. This explain the higher amounts of TOC and TN observed in the northern part of the lake and can be correlated with the higher external surface and adsorption capacity of minerals in the smectite-rich sediments. The four seasons monitoring of water physicochemical parameters indicates a relatively higher values of TOC and TN in the northern part of the lake, while nutrient concentrations indicate a uniform geographical distribution along the lake.