Mat River Research Articles

Using bacteria and benthic macroinvertebrates as water quality parameters in Mat River, Albania

Abstract This research examines the quality of Mat River water to control and reduce the level of environmental pollution in accordance with national rules and regulations. The focus of this study was the assessment of river water quality by using bacteria and benthic macroinvertebrates, as biological markers of stream water quality. The research was conducted from June 2018 to June 2019 at five sampling sites along the Mat River, with monthly sampling for chemical-physical and microbiological parameters and seasonal sampling for benthic macroinvertebrates. The investigated data for the studied parameters were statistically analysed using MINITAB 19 software. The variation in spatial and temporal trends of the investigated parameters showed differences in water quality among different sampling sites. The bacterial load was found to be higher near urban areas, and the pollution increased with the river course. The same tendency in water quality showed up even in the benthic macroinvertebrates population. Pearson correlation coefficients (p > 0.05) between the water quality data revealed the similarity and the associations between parameters. Cluster analysis of the investigated parameters revealed the classification of Mat River water quality and the possibility of using microbiological parameters and/or benthic macroinvertebrates for the assessment of water quality.

WEATHERING PATTERNS IN ALLUVIAL SOILS UNDER MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATIC CONDITIONS IN ALBANIA AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SOIL FERTILITY

This study comprehensively assesses weathering and soil development in the alluvial plains of Albania's Drin and Mat rivers. By analyzing soil properties, mineralogical compositions, and weathering indices, it provides crucial insights into the intricate link between geological processes and soil fertility in these key agricultural areas. The focus is on weathering indices such as the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), Chemical Index of Weathering (CIW), and Plagioclase Index of Alteration (PIA), which reveal distinct weathering patterns across soil profiles and alluvial plains. Drin River alluvial soils display moderate indices, signaling relatively lower weathering, while Mat River alluvial soils exhibit higher indices, indicating more pronounced weathering. The study emphasizes the role of mineral composition on weathering and soil development, with easily weathered minerals suggesting a more conducive environment for weathering in Mat River soils compared to Drin River soils. Elemental composition differences in these soils significantly impact fertility, potentially affecting agricultural productivity. Correlation analyses highlight the influence of mineralogy and chemical composition on weathering rates. This study's insights into weathering dynamics, mineralogical, and elemental composition in alluvial soils highlight soil fertility implications, crucial for optimizing agriculture and addressing environmental concerns in these vital Albanian regions.

Locked crustal faults associated with the subducting Indian Lithosphere and its implications in seismotectonic activity in the Central Indo-Burmese Ranges, Northeast India

Northeast India is a geodynamic hotspot for tectonic activities where three different plates viz., Indian, Eurasian and Burma Plates collide and deform with respect to each other. Northeast moving Indian Plate subducting transversely beneath Burma Plate results in the formation of the Indo-Burmese Ranges (IBR). In central IBR, the north-south trending Churachandpur-Mao Fault (CMF) is situated in the east of the Mizoram-Tripura Fold belt. The northwest-southeast trending Mat River Fault or Mat Fault (MF), which is another major crustal-scale strike-slip transverse fault, upholds the movement of the CMF. In this work, seismotectonic analysis of these two active intra-plate faults which are related to the June-September 2020 earthquake series, have been discussed. It is observed from satellite imageries, earthquake data and confirmed by the field investigation that these faults are not directly involved in the generation of the earthquakes; rather epicenters are distributed in the junction between the MF and CMF. It is evident from the seismotectonic analysis that this stress is distributed through some northwest-southeast synthetic faults, located north of MF and parallel to it, close to the junction with the CMF. The focal solution of the strongest of the 2020 earthquakes, the 5.5 Mw Champhai earthquake (on 22nd June 2020 at 04:10 IST) in Mizoram shows that the principal nodal plane was aligning along MF. Therefore, it is these synthetic faults that are responsible for the earthquakes rather than the locked zone between intra-plate MF and CMF crustal faults. This juxtaposition has caused a major shift in the geodynamic regime in the central IBR. Champhai earthquake might not be the only large devastating earthquake in the region and could be followed by more major earthquakes in the future.

Hydrological connectivity in the aquifer–river continuum: Impact of river stages on the geochemistry of groundwater floodplains

The study is based on a complex and unique data set of 222Rn activity, water stable isotopes, and physicochemical parameters (i.e., temperature, electrical conductivity, pH) produced to better understand the hydrogeochemical connectivity between groundwater and river water in a meander floodplain of the Matane River, QC, Canada. Using an array of 21 piezometers implanted into an 18 ha meander floodplain, the geochemical properties of shallow groundwater were investigated over nine sampling campaigns between 2011 and 2017. The river is in gaining conditions most of the year, although losing conditions are temporally observed along high river discharge. The objective was to explore the seasonal geochemical variations in response to river discharge with a specific focus on the spatial extent of the hyporheic zone. A thorough examination of temperature, δ18O, electrical conductivity, and 222Rn in groundwater indicated that the geochemical properties of shallow groundwater varied in space and time. Multivariate statistical analyses (i.e., clustering and canonical redundancy analysis) showed that river discharge is a key factor controlling shallow groundwater geochemistry, whatever the season. The hyporheic zone, where groundwater mixes with river water, extended far from the riverbank. These results support the concept of the hyporheic corridor and integrated river management by providing a geochemical viewpoint on river-aquifer connectivity.

Environment Impact of Ex-Industrial Areas in Laç and Rubik and the Possibilities for Their Functional Transformation- a Comparative Analysis

Industrial areas in Albania have had an important role for many years during the communist regime, but their industrial function declined after the 1990s. This study focuses on the industrial areas of Laç and Rubik, two small towns in Albania. The closing of some industrial activities in these towns has increased environmental pollution and health issues of their inhabitants due to the release of toxic substances in the territory. There were chosen these two towns to compare because: First, they are near each other and are part of the same District of Lezha; Second, they both are two ex-industrial towns which were created by the establishment of the industry, former Chemical and Metallurgical Combine in Laç and former Copper Plant in Rubik; third, in both towns the industry has caused environmental pollution in their vicinity, but mostly on the waters of Mat river; fourth, after the year 1990, when the industry that created them has stopped functioning, they have good possibilities to develop religious tourism. In both towns are two important and much-visited churches: the Church of St. Ndout, Laç and the Church of Shelbuemi in Rubik. Another reason is the lack of studies for the ex-industrial areas in Albania, especially for Laç and Rubik. The main aim of this study is to identify and assess the levels of pollution caused by ex-industrial building (actually not functioning) on land, air, water, and human health and to find the best way for their effective reuse and functional transformation.

ASSESSMENT OF SEAWATER INTRUSION IN FUSHE KUQE AQUIFER, ALBANIA

The Fushë Kuqe costal aquifer is a typical confined alluvial aquifer. The aquifer medium consists of alternating and discontinuous layers of gravel and sand-gravel with and silt-clay impermeable layers which have conditioned its multilayer character. The aquifer recharge occurs mainly through water infiltration from the Mat river in the North, and from Droja river in the South, while its natural discharge proceeds to the Adriatic sea. As from the variation of chloride and TDS content in groundwater, an advancement of sea water intrusion into aquifer fresh water was evidenced. The direction of sea water wedge from coastal southwestern sectors towards the Gorre and Fushe Kuqe where pumping station are located, favors the opinion that it was caused by a decrease of groundwater pressure due to the groundwater pumping. The increase of chloride content in groundwater through time confirms that sea water intrusion towards the fresh aquifer water is still ad-vancing and is caused by both intensification of groundwater pumping for public water supply and by the drilling of artesian private wells.

Filling the blank spot: first report on the freshwater crayfish distribution in Albania

The knowledge on the distribution of native and non-native crayfish species in Europe has substantially advanced during last two decades. However, data on the exact distribution of European crayfish are still lacking in some regions of the Balkan Peninsula, e.g. , in Albania. Out of five European crayfish taxa, Astacus astacus and Austropotamobius torrentium are considered to occur in Albanian freshwaters. However, until now the only confirmed localities of the occurrence of any crayfish species in Albania are a single place in the Mat River drainage and Prespa Lake. Five crayfish individuals have been collected recently from two localities in Albania: Ohrid Lake and upper Devolli River (Seman basin), as a result of a repeated sampling in all main Albanian river drainages. All specimens were morphologically and molecularly identified as the noble crayfish, A. astacus , providing confirmation of its presence in this Balkan country. The present paper summarizes historic and current distribution records of the crayfishes in Albania and neighbouring countries as well as provides insight into genetic variability of Albanian A. astacus .

Role of the geomorphic setting in controlling groundwater–surface water exchanges in riverine wetlands: A case study from two southern Québec rivers (Canada)

There is great interest worldwide to reconnect floodplain wetlands to their rivers. Whilst the surface water connection between rivers and wetlands is fairly well understood, the linkages via groundwater are not well known. In this study, it is hypothesized that the significance of the groundwater pathways between rivers and wetlands is largely determined by the geomorphic setting of the riverine corridor. This was tested by measuring the response of water levels and temperatures in floodplain groundwater and in wetlands to river pulses in two geomorphologically distinct riverine corridors in Southern Québec. In the De la Roche River (DLR; 145 km2), the floodplain is narrow and the alluvial sediments consist of sandy silt (wetland A; abandoned meander) or clayey silt (wetland B; stable floodplain), depending on the location. During within-channel floods, exchanges of water between the river and the floodplain are limited to some bank recharge where the alluvial sediments are permeable, and over-bank storage where the sediments are finer. Water levels in the DLR floodplain wetlands were controlled by a combination of over-bank flow and groundwater discharge from adjacent uplands. In the Matane River (1678 km2), the floodplain substrate is coarser, and the floodplain is wider and has a meandering planform geometry. The response of the Matane River wetland during floods shows storage of water due to a groundwater flood wave. This response of the wetland to within-channel flood pulses could play a role in downstream flood attenuation. In this river, the presence of river infiltration in this floodplain was also illustrated by the warming of floodplain groundwater during flood pulses. This study has shown with three distinct examples how riverine wetlands can be connected to their rivers via either a surface or subsurface pathway depending on the geomorphic setting of the riverine corridor.

Dynamics of groundwater floodwaves and groundwater flood events in an alluvial aquifer

In gravelly floodplains, streamflood events induce groundwater floodwaves that propagate through the alluvial aquifer. Understanding groundwater floodwave dynamics can contribute to groundwater flood risk management. This study documents groundwater floodwaves on a flood event basis to fully assess environmental factors that control their propagation velocity, their amplitude and their extension in the floodplain, and examines the expression of groundwater flooding in the Matane River floodplain (Québec, Canada). An array of 15 piezometers equipped with automated level sensors and a river stage gauge monitoring at 15-minute intervals from September 2011 to September 2014 were installed within a 0.04-km2 area of the floodplain. Cross-correlation analyses were performed between piezometric and river-level time series for 54 flood events. The results reveal that groundwater floodwave propagation occurs at all flood magnitudes. The smaller floods produced a clear groundwater floodwave through the floodplain, while the largest floods affected local groundwater flow orientation by generating an inversion of the hydraulic gradient. Propagation velocities ranging from 8 to 13 m/h, which are two to three orders of magnitude higher than groundwater velocity, were documented while the induced pulse propagated across the floodplain to more than 230 m from the channel. Propagation velocity and amplitude attenuation of the groundwater floodwaves depend both on flood event characteristics and the aquifer characteristics. Groundwater flooding events are documented at discharge below bankfull (< 0.5 Qbf). This study highlights the role of flood event hydrographs and environmental variables on groundwater floodwave properties and the complex relationship between flood event discharge and groundwater flooding. The role that groundwater floodwaves play in flood mapping and the ability of analytical solutions to reproduce them are also discussed.

Assessment of hydropower potential using spatial technology and SWAT modelling in the Mat River, southern Mizoram, India

In this study, a hydrological model and spatial technologies have been employed to assess water availability in the Mat River basin, southern Mizoram, India. Furthermore, the results obtained from the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model, satellite data and GIS tools were utilized to identify the hydropower potential in the basin. Thirty three sites with hydropower potential were identified within 147 km2 of the Mat River basin. A total of 3039, 1127 and 805 kW can be harnessed with 50, 75 and 90% dependability, respectively. The study revealed that the hydropower potential of a river basin can be correctly assessed by employing a digital elevation model, stream network data and a hydrological model, such as the SWAT model, within a GIS framework.Editor D. Koutsoyiannis

Controls of groundwater floodwave propagation in a gravelly floodplain

Interactions between surface water and groundwater can occur over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales within a high hydraulic conductivity gravelly floodplain. In this research, dynamics of river–groundwater interactions in the floodplain of the Matane River (eastern Canada) are described on a flood event basis. Eleven piezometers equipped with pressure sensors were installed to monitor river stage and groundwater levels at a 15-min interval during the summer and fall of 2011. Results suggest that the alluvial aquifer of the Matane Valley is hydraulically connected and primarily controlled by river stage fluctuations, flood duration and magnitude. The largest flood event recorded affected local groundwater flow orientation by generating an inversion of the hydraulic gradient for 16 h. Piezometric data show the propagation of a well-defined groundwater floodwave for every flood recorded as well as for discharges below bankfull (<0.5 Qbf). A wave propagated through the entire floodplain (250 m) for each measured flood while its amplitude and velocity were highly dependent on hydroclimatic conditions. The groundwater floodwave, which is interpreted as a dynamic wave, propagated through the floodplain at 2–3 orders of magnitude faster than groundwater flux velocities. It was found that groundwater exfiltration can occur in areas distant from the channel even at stream discharges that are well below bankfull. This study supports the idea that a river flood has a much larger effect in time and space than what is occurring within the channel.

Stratigraphy and infill history of the glacially eroded Matane River Valley, eastern Quebec, Canada

Terraces in the lower Matane River Valley (eastern Quebec, Canada) were studied to describe the stratigraphic architecture of a glacially eroded valley fill. The Matane River Valley hosted a glacial tongue connected with a regional ice cap during the early opening of a calving bay in the modern St. Lawrence Estuary and was subsequently flooded by the Goldthwait Sea as the Laurentide Ice Sheet margin retreated. Stratigraphic, sedimentological, light detection and ranging (LIDAR), and geochemical analyses as well as radiocarbon measurements allowed the identification of four stratigraphic units deposited during and following deglaciation: glacial outwash (unit I), delta bottomsets (unit II), delta foresets (unit III), and fluvial deposits (unit IV). Stable isotope (13C) and C/N ratio values reveal the relative influence of the two end-members (algae and terrestrial plants) on organic matter sources between the stratigraphic units. Climate, major relative sea level fluctuations, and sediment yield are recognized as the main controls on depositional environments in glacially eroded valleys of the northern shore of the Gaspé Peninsula during the Holocene. This paper presents a model of the evolution of the Matane River Valley, which in many points is similar to existing conceptual fjord-valley fill models.

Improvement of streams hydro‐geomorphological assessment using LiDAR DEMs

ABSTRACTHydro‐geomorphological assessments are an essential component for riverine management plans. They usually require costly and time‐consuming field surveys to characterize the spatial variability of key variables such as flow depth, width, discharge, water surface slope, grain size and unit stream power throughout the river corridor. The objective of this research is to develop automated tools for hydro‐geomorphological assessments using high‐resolution LiDAR digital elevation models (DEMs). More specifically, this paper aims at developing geographic information system (GIS) tools to extract channel slope, width and discharge from 1 m‐resolution LiDAR DEMs to estimate the spatial distribution of unit stream power in two contrasted watersheds in Quebec: a small agricultural stream (Des Fèves River) and a large gravel‐bed river (Matane River). For slope, the centreline extracted from the raw LiDAR DEM was resampled at a coarser resolution using the minimum elevation value. The channel width extraction algorithm progressively increased the centerline from the raw DEM until thresholds of elevation differences and slopes were reached. Based on the comparison with over 4000 differential global positioning system (GPS) measurements of the water surface collected in a 50 km reach of the Matane River, the longitudinal profile and slope estimates extracted from the raw and resampled LiDAR DEMs were in very good agreement with the field measurements (correlation coefficients ranging from 0 · 83 to 0 · 87) and can thus be used to compute stream power. The extracted width also corresponded very well to the channel as seen from ortho‐photos, although the presence of bars in the Matane River increased the level of error in width estimates. The estimated maximum unit stream power spatial patterns corresponded well with field evidence of bank erosion, indicating that LiDAR DEMs can be used with confidence for initial hydro‐geomorphological assessments. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Schistura porocephala, a new nemacheilid loach from Koladyne basin, Mizoram, India (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)

Schistura porocephala, a new nemacheilid species, is described from a stream that drains into the Mat River (Koladyne basin), India. It is characterized by the presence of prominent pores in the cephalic lateral line system; an incomplete lateral line; 20–23 thin dark olivaceous bars on the body, often bifurcated from the dorsolateral region; a depressed head and body anterior to the dorsal fin origin; and an elongated suborbital flap arising in front of the nostril and extending to the anterior one-third of the eye diameter in males.

Biopolitical Landscapes: The Preservation Tactics of Percy Nobbs

In the 1930s and 1940s, Canadian architect Percy Nobbs (1875-1964) advanced an ecological approach to landscape preservation through popular texts on sport fishing and in writings for the journal of the Atlantic Salmon Association (ASA), which he founded in 1948. This article ties Nobbs's choreography of human-animal interactions into a wider reassessment of his work as an early posthuman vision of the landscape as a traffic corridor for multiple species. Nobbs's skillful negotiations among a combination of private and public interests to restore four fishways on the Matane River in Eastern Quebec promoted the achievement of conservation goals, in tandem with the privatization of riparian waters and an intensification of commercial exploitation of the area's natural resources. Likewise, Nobbs's preservation of pedestrian corridors in the exclusive Montreal neighborhood of Upper Westmount applied a similarly posthuman lens to the management of urban populations.

Chromium and nickel distribution in soils, active river, overbank sediments and dust around the Burrel chromium smelter (Albania)

Chromium ore was treated to produce ferrochromium from 1979 until 2000 in a smelter in Burrel, 35 km NE of Tirana (Albania). As a consequence, large amounts of solid waste, i.e. slags (about 9.10 6 m 3) have been disposed next to the smelter, disfiguring the landscape. In an attempt to define contaminated sites, heavy metal content of the different sampling media have been compared with respective background samples. In the study area, the determination of background values in soil samples is complicated due to the different geological substrates. Cr and Ni background concentrations in serpentinite-derived soils, west of the smelting plant, are markedly higher than in the Pliocene gravel/sandy soils, where the smelter is situated (Cr 2147 and 193 mg/kg, respectively; Ni 2356 and 264 mg/kg). These values are clearly lower than those encountered around the smelter. Average total Cr and Ni concentrations in soils around the smelter are 3117 and 1243 mg/kg, respectively. The highest concentrations of Cr (up to 2.3 wt.%), were recorded in samples taken near the smelting compartment within the industrial plant and next to the slags clearly indicating that the smelter forms a point source of Cr contamination. The Cr / Fe ratio is the best indicator to differentiate non-polluted (Cr / Fe Serpentinite soil: 130–390; Pliocene soils: < 130) from polluted areas (> 390 smelting nearby of the slags). Cr and Ni values for local backgrounds in stream and overbank sediments were taken in the Mat river 6 km upstream and to the east of the smelter (268 and 430 mg/kg for Cr, and 306 and 604 mg/kg for Ni, respectively). Equivalent sediments taken from the Zalli i Germanit river, which drains the smelter area are respectively 816 and 1126 mg/kg for Cr and 1115 and 1185 mg/kg for Ni. Dust samples, taken from the lofts of houses up to 2 km from the smelter, display high concentrations of Cr, Ni and Zn (average contents of 2899, 436 and 902 mg/kg, respectively). The later concentrations in the dust samples have been confirmed by mineralogical analysis where Cr-bearing mineral phases such as ferrochromium and chromium oxides, clearly relate to the activity of the smelter. Consequently, atmospheric deposition of dust particles forms a serious problem and can also be responsible for the elevated contents encountered in soil samples around the smelter. All these data show that the degree of contamination caused by industrial activity of the Burrel Cr-smelter is severe, although no Cr(VI) was detected in soil water extractions nor in the surface or groundwater where concentrations were < 0.01 mg/kg.

Elver Invasion, Population Structure and Growth of Marbled eels Anguilla marmorata in a Tropical River on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean

Invasion mechanisms of Anguillid eels in tropical freshwater systems have seldom been described but are supposed to be similar to those of temperate eels. We used electrofishing and continuous trapping to define recruitment dynamics in spatial and temporal organization of marbled eels, Anguilla marmorata, in the Mat River, Reunion Island, Indian Ocean. Upstream migration of A. marmorata elvers lasted all year long, with a marked enhancement from January to April. We observed six successive length-classes during the 8 months period from December 2000 to July 2001, corresponding to the successive estuarine recruitments of elvers, of which three happened during the study. Mean growth estimation (15.3±3.5 mm month−1), calculated by linking modal-classes in length–frequency polynomial compositions of electrofishing data was corroborated by otolithometry performed on eels collected in the trap (17.4 ± 3.4 mm month−1). Migrant elvers (mean length 117.3 ± 24.6 mm) invaded the middle stream course 2, 3 or 4 months after they entered the river system. This is a marked difference from temperate Anguilla species that grow more slowly and usually reside 1 year downstream before they migrate or settle. Moreover, upstream invasion patterns of A. marmorata elvers in this tropical river appear to be synchronized with regular cyclonic floods occurring in the Indian Ocean.