Gala Lake Research Articles

Evaluation using the SWAT model of the effects of land use land cover changes on hydrological processes in the Gala Lake Basin, Turkey

Evaluation using the SWAT model of the effects of land use land cover changes on hydrological processes in the Gala Lake Basin, Turkey

EPIPHYTIC DIATOMS IN ENVIRONMENTAL BIOINDICATION: A CASE STUDY OF A SIGNIFICANT NATURAL LAKE IN THE NORTHWEST OF TURKEY

Aim of the study: The Gala Lake, which has a status of National Park and is an under-protection area, is the one of the most important natural stagnant water bodies in the Marmara Region of Türkiye. However, it is under effect of a significant agricultural stress sourced by mainly paddy cultivation. In this research, the epiphytic diatoms of Gala Lake were investigated, and the trophic status of the lake was assessed by applying the Biological Diatom Index (BDI). Material and methods: Epiphytic diatom samples were collected from the submerged macrophytes from 5 selected locations on the lake (G1–G5) with different ecological characters observed to be exposed to different pollution pressures. Results and conclusions: As a result of taxonomic data, 37 diatom species were recorded by identifying a total of 2095 valves, and Cyclotella meneghiniana, Bacillaria paxillifera, and Navicula recens were found as the most dominant species for the Gala Lake. According to the results of bioindication data, Gala Lake was found to be in a "eutrophic state"—"having poor water quality" in terms of applied BDI.

Comparisons of diatoms and fishes as toxic metal bioindicator: a case study of an A-class wetland in northwest Turkey under effect of an intensive paddy cultivation stress.

In this research, diatoms as the first step and fishes as the last step of the food chain were compared as toxic metal accumulation bioindicator in an A-class wetland in Turkey. Bioaccumulations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) were determined in liver, gill and muscle tissues of two commercially consumed fish species Carassius gibelio and Cyprinus carpio and in frustules of epiphytic diatom communities living on submerged macrophytes. Samples were collected seasonally from the Gala Lake, which is among the best stopover habitats of birds migrating between Europe and Africa, considering the paddy harvest period that is a major stress factor for the ecosystem. Also, potential human health risks associated with the consumption of fishes and consumption - dermal contact of diatoms were evaluated both for summer - before paddy harvest (BPH) and autumn - after paddy harvest (APH) periods. As a result of this research, the investigated toxic metal concentrations were increased significantly in diatoms in the APH period, while less significant exchanges were recorded in fishes. The bioaccumulations of PTEs were ranked as follows: Zn > Mn > Se > Cu > B > Cr > Ni > As > Pb > Cd for C. gibelio; Zn > Mn > Se > Cu > B > Cr > As > Ni > Pb > Cd for C. carpio; and Mn > Zn > Se > Pb > B > Ni > Cr > Cu > As > Cd for diatom frustules. Although the HI values in diatoms detected in the APH period were statistically significantly higher (about 1000 times; p < 0.05) than detected in the BPH period, they were less than the limit of 1 in both seasons. However, the HI coefficients of fishes were quite higher than the limit (an average of 23.59 for C. gibelio and 19.18 for C. carpio), which means quite high probable non-carcinogenic health risks for humans. Furthermore, the CR coefficients of Cr, Ni and As in muscle tissues of fishes were considerably higher than the limit of 10-4, which reflects a significant carcinogenic health risk for consumers. The data showed that although the fishes at the top of the food chain bioaccumulate the PTEs in their tissues much higher than the diatoms at the bottom of the food chain, the diatoms are much more sensitive to changes in the environmental conditions than the fishes and they are more effective biological tools as toxic metal accumulation bioindicators.

Impact of paddy fields on water quality of Gala Lake (Turkey): An important migratory bird stopover habitat

Gala Lake is an internationally important lake due to its location on one of the world's most important bird migration routes. For this reason, water quality of the lake is of great concern. However, the lake surrounded by paddy fields may face eutrophication and toxic metal contamination due to excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides. In this study, impact of paddy fields on water quality of the Gala Lake was investigated. The concentrations of metal(loid)s and physico-chemical parameters in surface water samples taken from the lake were measured and compared with water quality guidelines. Also, human health risks and contamination status of metal(loid)s were assessed. The mean NO2, SRP and BOD concentrations in the lake exceeded the permissible levels for both salmonid and cyprinid waters. The mean BOD value indicated contaminated water quality in the lake, while mean COD and SRP values indicated lightly contaminated water quality. The mean As, Cr and Pb values in the winter exceeded the drinking water limits set by WHO and EC, while the mean Cr and Zn values exceeded the limit values for the protection of freshwater aquatic organisms set by USEPA. Similarly, heavy metal pollution index and the degree of contamination values in the winter indicated that the lake water is moderately polluted. Health risk assessment results revealed that As and Cr in the lake water via ingestion exposure pathway may pose both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks to the residents. The results of this study indicated that paddy fields are a major source of nutrients, organic matter and toxic metal(loid)s to the Gala Lake. To improve the water quality of the lake, we suggest that excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides should be controlled to reduce metal(loid) and nutrient loads from the paddy fields.

Health risk assessment of toxicants in Meriç River Delta Wetland, Thrace Region, Turkey

In the current research, water quality of Meric River Delta was evaluated using some toxic element risk assessment indices. Samples were collected from 24 locations and nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) accumulations in delta components were read using an ICP-MS. Water quality index (WQI), heavy metal pollution index (HPI), heavy metal evaluation index (HEI) and degree of contamination index (Cdeg) were applied to detected data for assessing the water quality. Also, the toxic element concentrations in water were assessed in terms of public health using some health risk assessment methods including hazard index (HI), hazard quotient (HQ) and cancer risk (CR). According to the results of WQI, HPI, HEI and Cdeg, Ni and As were recorded as most dangerous toxicants among the investigated elements and Gala Lake was recorded as most effected delta component. According to the results HQs and CR, As was recorded as the most dangerous toxicant among the investigated elements and Gala Lake and Ergene River were recorded as the most effected delta components.

Mitigation of organophosphate pesticide pollution in agricultural watersheds

Adsorption and biodegradation processes for four organophosphate pesticides (chlorpyrifos, diazinon, fenthion, dichlorvos) in wetlands and agricultural drains in Meric-Ergene Basin, Turkey have been investigated. Koc (organic carbon normalized partition coefficient) values for all pesticides except diazinon were higher in more aromatic Pamuklu Drain sediments, indicating the possible influence of aromaticity on the extent of adsorption. The average half-lives of pesticides in Gala Lake sediments and Pamuklu agricultural drain sediments ranged from 2.25 to 69.31 days with chlorpyrifos exhibiting the slowest biotransformation rate and dichlorvos having the fastest biotransformation rate. The presence of humic substances and hydroperiod of wetlands have been identified as possible factors that affected the behavior of organophosphate pesticides in this study. The results from this study provide insight into the constructed wetland design offered for the mitigation of organophosphate pesticides in the basin.

Gala Gölü Milli Parkı Memelileri

Gala Lake National Park (GLNP) consists of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems covering 6.087 hectares of area in Enez and İpsala district boundaries of Edirne province. Extensive field studies were performed on mammals within the boundaries of GLNP for 26 days from 29 July to 07 November 2016. A total of 44 mammalian species from 16 families within 6 orders were determined in the studied area and an up-to-date inventory of mammals was prepared. Myocastor coypus (coypu) were detected as an invasive species in the region.

The Braconidae (Hymenoptera-Apocrita) of Gala Lake National Park and the surrounding area

This study was performed in order to determine the Braconidae fauna of meadows and forest areas around Gala Lake National Park. Samples were collected from June to October 2011 in selected pasture, forest, and rice agricultural areas. As a result of the study, a total of 38 taxa species belonging to 12 genera within 5 subfamilies were identified. Among the species identified, four species [Eubazus (Brachistes) gigas, Triaspis thoracica, Pseudovipio deserti, Opius (Opius) trucantulus] were recorded for the first time in Turkey and four species [Bracon (Bracon) kozak, Pseudovipio inscriptor, Opius (Opius) quasipulvis, Aleiodes (Neorhogas) ductor] were recorded for the first time in the Thrace region.

Essential and toxic element bioaccumulations in fishes of gala and siğirci lakes (Meriç River Delta, Turkey)

Meriç River Delta is located in the Thrace Region of Turkey, and it is one of the most important wetlands worldwide. Gala and Sığırcı Lakes, which are known as significant lakes in Turkey in terms of especial biodiversity, are located in the Meriç River Delta and they are the main lentic factors of the system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the essential and toxic element bioaccumulation levels in fishes of Gala and Sığırcı Lakes from a statistical perspective by investigating a total of 25 macro- and micro-element bioaccumulations. One-Way ANOVA Test (OWAT) was applied to detected data in order to determine the statistical differences of element bioaccumulations among the fish species. Cluster analysis (CA) was also applied to detected data in order to classify the investigated elements in terms of bioaccumulation levels in fish tissues. According to the results of OWAT, although statistical differences were not recorded among the fish species in terms of essential element levels, significant statistical differences were recorded in terms of toxic element levels (P&lt;0.05). According to the results of CA, 5 statistically significant clusters were formed, which were named as “Most intense elements”, “Second most intense elements”, “Moderate intense elements”, “Second rarest elements”, and “Rarest elements”. It was also found that toxic element bioaccumulation rates in fishes of Gala Lake were significantly higher than in fishes of Sığırcı Lake (P&lt;0.05).

Byzantine Churches of Enez (Ainis) in Eastern Thrace

The ancient city of Ainos was built on the east coast of the Maritsa (Meriç) river, where the river joins the sea. The city is located on the west of ancient Lake Stentoris (today Gala Lake) and was established on the 7th century BC as a colony of the Aiolians. The excavations at Ainos proved that the city was continuously inhabited since Neolithic era. Ainos was connected in the north to Adrianopolis by sea and by overland route, in the east to Gallipolis and Constantinople and was situated in a very important location. In 148 BC the city was conquered by the Romans and during the Byzantine era it became the capital of the Rhodope region of the Europa province. The location of the city attests its importance as a major commercial center. Today the ancient city of Ainos is situated 3.5 km inside from the coast. Throughout the prehistoric ages, Ainos had two ports and the point that Meriç (Maritsa) River joins today the sea used to be a gulf. Ainos, the most important port city of Eastern Thrace, besides joining the Aegean Sea with the hinterland of Eastern Thrace, was situated at the end of the shortest and most secure road between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. During the middle ages the city preserved its importance and as it continued to unite the Aegean islands to Thrace, it was a significant commercial center. Ainos remained a major commercial center until the beginning of the 19th century

Comparative study of epiphytic algal communities on Typha latifolia L. and Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud in the shallow Gala Lake (European Part of Turkey)

The aim of this study was to determine the species composition, biodiversity and, relative abundance of epiphytic algae and their relationship with environmental variables on Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis at Lake Gala (National Park). Epiphytic algae were gathered monthly by collecting aquatic plants between March 2014 and November 2014. In the epiphytic flora were a total of 133 taxa were identified, 107 taxa were identified on T. latifolia and 96 were discovered on P. australis. While the mean species richness, species diversity and evenness values of the algae identified on T. latifolia were 46, 1.85 and 0.51 respectively, these values were respectively 43, 1.51 and 0.43 on P. australis. While diatoms were generally dominant, other dominant groups in the epiphytic flora included green algae and blue-green algae. The algae that had the highest relative biovolume on T. latifolia were Spirogyra affinis, Oscillatoria sancta and Gomphonema acuminatum, while the algae that had the highest relative biovolume on P. australis were Epithemia adnata, Oscillatoria sancta and Rhopalodia gibba. Results show that species composition of epiphytic algae was different, but diversity values were similar on all the macrophytes. The hydrological pulse is one of the most important factors determining the physical and chemical environment of the epiphytic algal community. It was found that some environmental factors were highly effective on community distribution in the epiphyton. Additionally, it was observed that some epiphytic algae species had a substrate preference between T. latifolia and P. australis.

Bioecological and statistical risk assessment of toxic metals in sediments of a worldwide important wetland: Gala Lake National Park (Turkey)

Abstract Gala Lake National Park that has an international importance is one of the most important wetland ecosystems for Turkey. As same as many aquatic habitats, Gala Lake is under a significant anthropogenic pressure originated from agricultural activities conducted around the lake and from industrial discharges by means of Ergene River. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sediment quality of Gala Lake and Irrigation Canal by investigating some toxic element accumulations (As, B, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu) from a statistical perspective. Pearson Correlation Index (PCI) and Factor Analysis (FA) were applied to detected data in order to determine the associated contaminants and effective factors on the system. Potential Ecological Risk Index (RI) and Biological Risk Index based sediment quality guidelines (mERM-Q) applied to detected data in order to assess the ecological and biological risks of heavy metals in the ecosystem. Also Geographic Information System (GIS) technology was used to make visual explanations by presenting distribution maps of investigated elements. According to the results of PCI, significant positive correlations were recorded among the investigated toxic elements at 0.01 significance level. According to the results of FA, two factors, which were named as “Agricultural Factor” and “Industrial Factor”, explained 86.6% of the total variance. According to the results of Potential Ecological Risk Index, cadmium was found to be the highest risk factor and according to results of Biological Risk Index, nickel and chromium were found to be the highest risk factors for Gala Lake and Irrigation Canal. As a result of the present study, it was also determined that heavy metal contents in sediments of Gala Lake National Park reached to critical levels and the system is intensively under effect of agricultural and industrial originated pollution.

Paddy-Rice Monitoring Using TanDEM-X

This paper evaluates the potential of spaceborne bistatic interferometric synthetic aperture radar images for the monitoring of biophysical variables in wetlands, with a special interest on paddy rice. The assessment is made during the rice cultivation period, from transplanting to harvesting time (May to October) for fields around Gala lake (Turkey), one of the largest and most productive paddy rice planting area in the country. Detailed ground truth measurements describing biophysical parameters are collected in a dedicated campaign. A stack of 16 dual-pol TanDEM-X images is used for the generation of 32 digital elevation models (DEMs) over the studied area. The quality of the data allows the use of the interferometric phase as a state variable capable to estimate crop heights for almost all the growing stages. The early vegetative rice stage, which is characterized by flooded fields, cannot be represented by the interferometric phase due to a low signal-to-noise ratio but can be easily detected by amplitude and interferometric coherence thresholding. A study on the impact of the polarization in the signal backscatter is also performed. An analysis of the differences between HH and VV DEMs shows the varying signal penetration for the two polarizations at different growing stages. The validation with reference data demonstrates the capability to establish a direct relationship between interferometric phase and rice growth. The very high coherence of TanDEM-X data yields elevation estimates with root-mean-square error in a decimetric level, supporting temporal change analysis on a field-by-field basis.

Distribution of Microflora, Meiofauna, and Macrofauna Assemblages in the Hypersaline Environment of Northeastern Aegean Sea Coasts

ABSTRACT Bassler-Veit, B.; Barut, I.F.; Meric, E.; Avsar, N.; Nazik, A.; Kapan-Yesilyurt, S., and Yildiz, A., 2013. Distribution of microflora, meiofauna, and macrofauna assemblages in the hypersaline environment of northeastern Aegean Sea coasts. In this study, the morphology and taxonomy of microflora (charophytes and diatoms), meiofauna (benthic foraminifera and ostracoda), and macrofauna (mollusk) assemblages of the recent surface sediments from saltpans, hypersaline lagoons, and salt lakes of the Gulf of Saros (NW Turkey) were investigated. In total, 44 samples were collected from recent surface sediments in salt pans, hypersaline lagoons, and salt lakes of the Gulf of Saros (Enez Salt Lake, Isik Lake, Kuvalak Lake, Enez Gala Lake, Dalyan Lake, and Tasalti Lake; Karagol, Vakif, and Erikli salt pans; and Uzungol Lagoon), Gallipoli Peninsula (salt pan), Biga Peninsula (Diremin and Azmak Lagoons and Dalyan Salt Lake), and Gokceada Island (salt lake). Surface sediments were collected, and some physical p...

Assessment of Ecological Units of Important Nature Conservation Area of Thrace Region

Abstract The Gala Lake and the Igneada Longos (Flooded Forests), which are two of the most important wetlands of the Thrace Region and which are protected as national parks, are important reserves of biodiversity. In this study, to highlight the importance of both areas in natural conservation, the rarity, diversity, naturalness, and sensitivity of the ecological units were evaluated. The Gala Lake and Igneada Flooded Forests are internationally classified as rare and diverse in ornithology, and nationally, as rare and sensitive areas for the lake and the marsh fields. The findings indicated that the Gala Lake and the marsh fields be classified as seminatural and sensitive areas. Because of their endemic and rare species, the Igneada Flooded Forests show a rarity and diversity on an international scale.

Ecological Risk Analysis for Biotope Potantiality of Gala Lake in Turkey

Ecological Risk Analysis for Biotope Potantiality of Gala Lake in Turkey