Polluted Lakes Research Articles

Integration of satellite surveillance and metagenomics for the monitoring and protection of water basins from oil spills

The planetary crisis regarding water resources means that new methods are needed to monitor large areas of water basins that are threatened by chemical and natural pollutants, together with climate change. With the aim to detect oil spill, we applied an algorithm, which could consistently and reliably confirm the presence of oil in four polluted lake waters analyzed. Combined algorithm application and metagenomic analysis from the spill areas that had been detected by the satellite identified drivers of the microbial response to oil pollution. Based on ortholog abundances, metabolic pathway reconstruction carried out in PICRUSt2 highlighted the degradative capacity of these microorganism. These microorganisms could be suitable candidates for treatment of crude oil, aromatic hydrocarbons and the desulfurization of persistent petroleum substances like dibenzothiophene.Environmental changes have been analysed with the combination of satellite monitoring and metagenomic in other studies. Red snow phenomenon, in Franz Josef Land's Arctic observed by satellite, is the result of a microbial succession dominated by Chlamydomonas nivalis, a unicellular, red-colored photosynthetic green algae. Similarly, satellite monitoring and metagenomic monitoring were used to assess the impact on coral reefs of a huge quantity of mud spill from iron ore mining on the Abrolhos Bank reef in Brazil.In our study, the combination of satellite sensing and metagenomics analyses offer useful tools for the real-time monitoring of water bodies threatened by oil spills, as well as for the design of recovery strategies based on the use of valuable hydrocarbonoclastic microorganisms.

Floating Islands for Urban Resilience Aquatic Resources Management in the Tropics: Win-Win-Win Strategies for Eutrophication Control, Aquafarming and Waterborne Green Transport System

Various wastes from ever rising populations, widespread use of fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, hormones for intensified agriculture, aquaculture, livestock farming, direct sewage discharge have been the major drivers of excess phosphorus responsible for eutrophication in inland freshwaters. Reduction of nitrogen did not prove effective for eutrophication control, while multiple lines of evidence indicate that phosphorus control works best to mitigate eutrophication in freshwaters. More specifically, it is the N:P ratio that modulates the types of algal bloom as NP ratio > 16:1 favours the bloom of harmful blue green algae and the reverse for green algae. Although there are different physical, chemical and biological methods used for phosphorus removal, the constructed floating islands have proved immense potentials to remove phosphorus mediated through plant-microbe uptake mechanism to restore clean habitat for sustainable development. The current challenge of the conversion of numerous valuable lakes, reservoirs, wetlands, rivers into wastewater systems unacceptable for fish farming and other economic driven activities can be confronted with win- win- win strategies of environmentally safe and sustainable solutions of floating landmass for agriculture, bio-reclamation of eutrophic lakes and rivers, a farming in these water and urban resilience waterborne green transport system across small to medium scale rivers. It is that floating islands made of selective powerful plants and microbes can be installed not only in the confined polluted lakes and reservoirs, but this facility can be extended to rivers of different dimensions for clean up as well as a network of waterborne public transport in the form of environmentally- safe passage boat, water taxi across the rivers. This is of special significance in small to medium scale rivers in India, Bangladesh and other rich countries in Asia not only for public transport and fish farming as well. However, multidimensional technological approaches and strategies with innovative cutting edge technical nature based solutions are most welcome to achieve the success of such giant holistic functionality project.

Studi Analisis Kualitas Air Lau Borus (Outlet Danau Lau Kawar), Pasca Erupsi Gunung Sinabung Di Kecamatan Naman Teran, Kabupaten Karo, Provinsi Sumatera Utara

Lau borus is an outlet located on Lau Kawar Lake. The location of lau borus is located at the foot of mount sinabung where this mountain has experienced quite high eruptive activity for several years. Determination of the status of water quality in these waters using the Pollution Index Method following the Regulation of the Minister of the Environment number 115 of 2003 and the Regulation of the Minister of Health Number 32 of 2017. The parameters that will be tested in this study are TDS, pH, Fe, SO4, COD, BOD, Cu, Cl, Pb, NH3, Total Coliform. The study was conducted at 3 sample points taken by purposive sampling. The average results of the calculation of the Lau Borus Waters Pollution Index method Outlet Lau Kawar Lightly Polluted Lake (scores from 1.86 to 2.19). While the results of Permenkes number 32 of 2017 the total coliform results show that this value has exceeded the average value. These results indicate that the quality status is influenced by pollutants from Iron (Fe) and Total Coliform which are above the quality standard. The relationship between the eruption activity of Mount Sinabung and the quality of Lau Borus during sampling did not cause a significant pollution impact from volcanic ash pollutants. The cause of Lau Borus pollution is from the wind direction. The percentage results from the eruption wind direction towards Lake Lau Kawar. the direction of the lake with the opposite direction is 1: 8. The eruption towards the Lau Borus Outlet, Lake Lau Kawar, is relatively small compared to the opposite direction.

Evidences of microplastics in Hawassa Lake, Ethiopia: A first-hand report

Investigation on freshwater MPs has increased gradually across the world, since they are main trajectory for the transportation of MPs from inland to ocean. The present study aims to identify the presence, distribution and the type of MPs in the lake Hawassa, Ethiopia. Twenty-five shoreline surface sediments were separated using ZnCl2 solution and was microphotographed using SEM and type of MP was identified using FTIR spectra. The abundance of MPs was in range of 11–74 items/m3 near the catchment area of the lake in the eastern side. Fiber (90%), fragments (5%) and pellets (5%) were the commonly observed form with varied colour such as white, black, blue, red and others. Our results infer that the common polymer detected in the study area were polyester (82%), polyethylene (15%) and polystyrene (3%) infer their origin from fishing nets, ropes and plastics bags. The industries near the lake contributes more MPs, where the waste water effluents are drained directly into the lake. Spearman's correlation matrix applied among the MPs characters endorses the fate of MPs in the lake environment indicating the weathering process (especially due to bleaching process). Comparative studies with other lake regions around the globe indicate higher values which is entirely and it depends on various factors surrounding the study area. Being, highly polluted lake in Ethiopia, this study extremely acclaims that some monitoring studies in fresh water components in the lake Hawassa helps to mitigate the prevailing MPs pollution.

Estimation of Heavy Metal Concentrations in the Water of Urban Lakes in the Russian Arctic (Murmansk)

This article presents the results of the analysis and estimation of the seasonal variation of heavy metals in the water of urban lakes and the assessment of their environmental state based on the chemical data. The research covered seven lakes in Murmansk, subject to various levels of anthropogenic load. Field studies were conducted in 2019–2020. Water samples were taken both in summer and in winter/spring seasons. The most polluted lake was Lake Ledovoe, where the highest concentrations of V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, W, and Mn were found. Lake Yuzhnoe, which is characterized by the lowest concentrations of studied heavy metals, was the least subject to anthropogenic load. In total, V, Ni, Zn, Fe, and Mn were above the background levels in the lakes of Murmansk. The analysis of the seasonal variation showed that the highest concentrations of heavy metals were found in winter/spring season and reached their maximum during the period of melt water intake from the catchment area. The research showed the impact of the urban environment on the chemical composition of the Murmansk lakes.

Surface Water Quality Trends and Regression Model through SPSS in Udaipur, Rajasthan

The surface water quality status and trend of Udaipur’s main lakes namely, Fatehsagar, Pichola Lake, and Udaisagar has been identified through 10 years of data collected from ENVIS Centre under on Control of Pollution of Water, Air, and Noise, hosted by Central Pollution Control Board. Water quality data were collected for the parameters like BOD, DO, pH, Conductivity, NN, Fecal coliform, Total coliform to determine the water pollution level and water treatment requirements. Overall water quality status has been improved from 2016 to 2019 due to the wastewater treatment plant. Udaisagar is the most polluted lake among the three lakes. Fecal coliform was suddenly increased in 2018 due to leakage of sewage line near Pichola Lake. These lakes are interconnected and very useful for drinking, industrial, agricultural, and tourism purposes and proper maintenance will be helpful for all dimensional growth of the city. A regression model for BOD was also developed for these lakes. Dependency of Temperature, pH, Dissolved oxygen, NN, Fecal coliform, and Total coliform was checked on BOD through SPSS multiple regression analysis. It is found that only Temperature and Total Coliform affect the values of BOD. The variance analysis showed p-values of < 0.05 and no multicollinearity was diagnosed, with VIF values of < 10.

Microplastics in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from Lake Amatitlán

Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm found in the environment, which can cause health problems for aquatic organisms and humans, being classified as emerging pollutants. In Guatemala, Lake Amatitlán is one of the most polluted lakes as it receives discharges of wastewater, treated and untreated, as well as other waste from Guatemala City and other major urban populations. In a recent study, microplastics were found in sediments in Lake Amatitlán, so it was necessary to determine whether the lake's fish are affected by these pollutants, which can be harmful to their health. This research aimed to determine the microplastics in fish from Lake Amatitlán, for which 65 specimens of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were collected in October and December 2020, and January 2021. The collected fish were dissected in the laboratory, where the number and type of microplastics were analyzed in the digestive tract, after their separation by digestion and filtration. Lines or fibers were the most common type of microplastics, found in 63 specimens (96.9% of the analyzed specimens), ranging from 0 to 27 lines/fibers per individual. The frequency of other types of microplastics found were 0-3 fragments/individual, 0-2 films/individual, and 0-4 foams/individual, while microspheres were not found in any specimen. The presence of microplastics in tilapia from Lake Amatitlán is an indicator of contamination in the lake by pollutants that could affect the trophic network and represents a risk for the fish consumers, requiring the attention of environmental and health authorities.&#x0D; Keywords: emerging pollutants, Guatemala, pollution.

Zooplankton indices in the evaluation of the ecological state of the eutrophic lake (Case study: Karasikha Lake, Russia)

Long-term (1998-2018) studies have been carried out on the small lake, Karasikha, located in the territory of the Volga-Kama State Nature Biosphere Reserve. Physicochemical characteristics of the lake water classify it as eutrophic, polluted, with a low oxygen content, but a high content of organic matter and phosphates. In parallel, some studies were carried out on its zooplankton community. Karasikha Lake is the habitat of 70 species of planktonic rotifers and crustaceans identified. Based on the number of species, rotifers predominated and their largest number belonged to Brachionidae family. On average 3-4 species were dominant, as indicators of eutrophic and polluted waters. However, with a relatively high species richness of zooplankton, the community has low quantitative indicators. The low oxygen content in the water column makes zooplankton concentrate mainly in the epilimnion layer (up to 2-3 m in depth). The lowest quantitative indicators of zooplankton are characteristic of the under-ice period, which is also associated with a lack of oxygen in the water. The community is dominated by indicators of dirty waters. The structure of zooplankton communities is typical of highly polluted lakes. Indices based on the taxonomic structure of zooplankton classify the reservoir as highly eutrophic and even hypertrophic.

Recent sediments of Arctic small lakes (Russia): geochemistry features and age

The article presents the first data on the study of a wide range of chemical elements in the water and sediments of small lakes located in the Arctic Zone of Russia. Among the selected objects are two lakes located in the urbanized areas. As a result, the sediments of all lakes were classified by the ratio of the main elements and the total content of organic matter. The concentration coefficients of all elements were calculated taking into average concentrations of different elements in the continental crust and the potentially toxic elements in the sediments of the background area. Analyzing sediment cores made it possible to evaluate the historical dynamics of the behavior of some metals and metalloids (Pb, Cd, Sb, Sn, Bi, Ni, Cu) in the aquatic environment during the industrial era, both in urbanized territories and in the background regions of the Arctic. The main natural and anthropogenic factors of the formation of geochemical anomalies in the concentrations of different elements, including potentially toxic ones, in the sediments studied, were identified. In urban areas, the main sources of metals entering the lake environment are emissions of the copper–nickel, thermal power plants, coal port, and an incineration plant. For all lakes, the pollution level of objects was estimated by calculating the geo-accumulation index and pollution load index. The most polluted lakes are the lakes of urban areas of the Arctic, the lakes of the background territories are characterized by a moderate level of pollution or no pollution.

Effect of design and operational parameters on nutrients and heavy metal removal in pilot floating treatment wetlands with Eichhornia Crassipes treating polluted lake water.

Though having an economic and ecological impact on Marriott Lake management in Egypt, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an aquatic floating macrophyte with a known phytoremediation potential. In order to assess its remediation potential, pilot floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) with E. crassipes were built in duplicates to evaluate the removal of nutrients and heavy metals from the polluted lake water. The experimental design included units with different water depths (15, 25, and 35 cm; D15, D25, and D35, respectively) and plant coverage (90, 70, 50, and 0%; P90, P70, P50, and P0, respectively). The pilot FTWs were monitored over a 7-day operation cycle to identify the optimum combination of design (plant coverage, water depth) and operation (hydraulic retention time; HRT) parameters needed for maximum BOD5, TN, NH4-N, and TP removal. NH4-N removal reached 97.4% in the D25P50 unit after 3 days, BOD5 75% in the D15P90 after 3 days, TN 82% in the D25P70 after 4 days, and TP 84.2% in the D35P70 after 4 days. The open-water evaporation rate was higher than the evapotranspiration rate in the planted units, probably due to the warm climate of the study area. Metals were also sufficiently removed through bioaccumulation in plant tissues in the order of Fe > Pb > Cu > Ni (62.5%, 88.9%, 81.7%, and 80.4% for D25P50, D25P70, D25P50, and D25P90, respectively), while most of the assimilated metal mass was translocated to the plant roots. The biochemical composition of the plant tissue was significantly different between the shoot and root parts. Overall, the FTW with 70% E. crassipes coverage, 25-cm water depth, and an HRT of 3-5 days was identified as the optimum design for effective remediation of the polluted Marriott Lake in Egypt.

Reduction in concentration of chromium (VI) by Lysinibacillus macroides isolated from sediments of the Chapala Lake, Mexico.

The Chapala Lake is one of the most polluted lakes in Mexico, due to the in flow of effluents from several industrial plants, the lake accumulates pollutants such as chromium(VI) which is considered important for aquatic ecosystem. This study aimed was to evaluate the ability to decrease the concentration of chromium (VI) by Lysinibacillus macroides 2(1B)104A, isolated from sediments of the Chapala Lake. The strain was identified through 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Results showed that this strain grows in concentrations of 50, 100, 200 and 300 mgL-1 Cr(VI), in pH ranging 6 to 7, showing 79.508% reduction in concentration 50 mgL-1, determining that the reduction occurs extracellularly. Likewise, it was observed that Lysinibacillus macroides reduced the concentration of Cr(IV) in the broth, it was not observed that the bacteria could sequester Cr(VI) in the membrane or intracellularly. However, it reduced the concentration of Cr(VI) in the broth. Lysinibacillus macroides 2(1B)104A isolate showed having the ability that decrease the concentration of Cr(VI), which makes it a viable options for bioremediation of water polluted with this metal.

Features of the chemical composition of water in the urban lakes of Murmansk

The article presents the results of studies of the hydrochemical composition of five urban lakes of Murmansk. It was found that the chemical composition of the water of the studied urban lakes is significantly different from the composition of the lakes of the northeastern part of the Murmansk region of the Barents Sea catchment, which was taken as the background. The water pH values have increased in comparison with the background values, as well as mineralization, the content of major ions, nutrients, and heavy metals. An increase in the content of the main cations of alkaline and alkaline-earth metals (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ и K+), as well as the main anions (HCO3–, SO42–, Cl–), is associated with the influence of urban environments, including the use of reagents for deicing of roads. Due to the influx of marine aerosols in the waters of urban lakes, the content of other alkaline (Li and Rb) and alkaline-earth (Sr and Ba) metals, as well as B and Br, is increased. Mineralization of water in the Murmansk lakes is ten times higher than the values recorded in the lakes of the northeastern part of the Murmansk region of the Barents Sea catchment. In the water of urban lakes, the content of compounds of the nitrogen group, especially the ammonium ion, is significantly increased, which indicates the formation of a restorative environment that has a detrimental effect on hydrobionts. Lakes Ledovoe and Yuzhnoe are the most polluted among the studied lakes, characterized by the highest content of the above-mentioned indicators, as well as many heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, Co, As, Mo and W). At the same time, there is a decrease in the content of organic substances in the most polluted lakes due to inhibition of biological processes.

Quantification of the Coordination Degree between Dianchi Lake Protection and Watershed Social-Economic Development: A Scenario-Based Analysis

Dianchi Lake is the largest freshwater lake on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau near Kunming City, China. As one of the most polluted lakes in China, although billions of U.S. dollars have been spent trying to clean it up, water pollution and eutrophication are still a bottleneck for regional sustainable development. This research established an integrated approach for the evaluation of the coupling coordination degree to support future planning of the Dianchi Lake basin. Ten future scenarios for possible development directions of Dianchi Lake basin were designed to find the best balance between development and protection. Among these scenarios, a high protection–medium development scenario is the most suitable scenario for future development planning. To further improve the coordination degree, economic growth control and non-point source governance were the most effective and feasible approaches. Furthermore, a water quality model was used to verify the coordination degree. It was found that the high protection–medium development scenario can reach the water quality target in 2025. The coordination degree evaluation could be a practical link to help equilibrate the socio-economic development and environmental protection of the Dianchi Lake basin.

Assessment of heavy metal contamination and tolerant bacteria associated with halophyte Arthrocnemum macrostachyum in Lake Manzala, Egypt

In Egypt, Lake Manzala is the largest and the most polluted lake due to its use as sink for agricultural drainage, industrial effluents, and sanitary wastes. Pollution indices and associated bacteria of Arthrocnemum macrostachyum were assessed in up and down streams. The concentrations of heavy metal in upstream soil significantly exceeding those in downstream. The highest concentration in upstream soil was recorded by Fe (> 200000 mgkg-1), followed by Al, Mn and Zn (143733.3, 5032.67 and 1036.43 mgkg-1, respectively). Concerning the plant organs, the levels of all elements in root were higher than those in shoot at both up and down streams. The pollution indices of upstream soil were higher than those of downstream for all metals except for Mo. A. macrostachyum has the ability as hyperaccumulator for Al, Fe and V in both up and downstreams and for Cr and Cu in downstream. Plant juice culture media of the halophyte was succeed to develop translucent and slimy colonies. More than 50% of plant juice culture media diluted with upstream water isolates were tolerant to Al, Cr, Cu and Zn at maximum tolerable concentrations 71.26, 12.5, 0.32 and 0.74 mM, respectively. Nine heavy metal-tolerant bacterial isolates were identified according to API microtube systems. Four isolates were matching Burkholderia cepacia, 2 isolates belonged to Providencia retgeri, and the rest isolates referring to Bacillus circulanc, Bacillus lentus and Raoultella ornithinoltica. The study suggests that A. macrostachyum could be classified as an appropriate candidate for phytoremediation efficiency of extremely heavy metal polluted soils.

Ecological diversity of species and its measurement in lentic ecosystem in Mysuru

The paper attempts to give an account of fresh water algae as an indicator of water quality. Eight lakes of Mysore have been studied. The Palmers Index IDSELS Diatom index and OMNIDA software, were used for calculated and analysed. The order of tolerance to organic pollution was calculated using the Garrett ranking techniques .According to Palmer index all the eight lakes were organically polluted. Bogadi lake was least polluted and Karanji lakes and mandakahalli lake were polluted. The present investigation compares the use of old and new techniques of detecting the water quality. It also enables us to understand whether the algae is imparting organic pollution of lake water. The species index indicated that Bogadi lake, Hadinarru lake, Karanji lake & Bilikere lake had low organic pollution. The diatom index showed that all lakes ranged between moderate and high organic pollution but the degradation levels in the water was also high. Dalvoi lake and Mandakahalli lake had the highest organic pollution. Species of Euglena and Scenedesmus were the most tolerant species found in organic polluted lakes. Algae were found to be highly resistant in Karanji lake, Dalvoi lake, Kukkarahalli lake and bilekere lake. These sites were found to be conducible for the growth of algae, while most of the other lakes had idiosynthcratic species. This study uses the advanced modern tools in determining levels of organic pollution in lake ecosystem.

Remediation of Urban Polluted Lake Water and Sediments

Entry of contaminated soils and sediments in to the water sources from the urban runoff decreases lake water quality and increases the cost of water purification. Water pollution is inevitable issue when the surrounding activities of nearby people are not maintained proper water handling techniques with respect to preserving lake water quality along with the quantity. Sedimentation is a complex process where the eroded soil particle enters in to the water bodies through flowing water or through any of the transporting media and settles as layers on the bottom of the water bodies. Maintenance of good water quality in the lakes is always most important criteria for promoting good irrigation standards and drinking facilities to the nearby people along with other benefits like recreation, fisheries etc. but all these benefits are questionable in the current scenario as the water in the lakes are being contaminated by industrial and municipal waste disposal practices along with agricultural runoff at certain rural connected areas. Urban areas especially in India are facing severe problems with water as the availability of water reducing year by year at an alarm rate which in turn leads to increased pressure on sustainable consumption of lake water to meet the daily water demand of the city. There should be some suitable management strategies for Protecting water bodies to promote ecological balance at study area, the present study has taken up at koritapadu lake falls under the limits of guntur municipal corporation, Andhra Pradesh, earlier this lake served as major source for drinking and also for other requirements of water to the nearby people but now it became un useful as the water contamination is high and unable to consume as part of daily activities. Total eight samples were collected for both water and sediments by considering all possible corners of contamination, all he samples were analyzed by adopting standard water quality analysis procedures [7]. By keeping the above considerations this study was initiated to promote water quality for future consumption.

Different thermal conditions of lakes affect host–parasite systems: A case study of Viviparus contectus (Millet, 1813) and digenean trematodes

Abstract Thermal disturbance of aquatic ecosystems directly and/or indirectly affects interspecific interactions, including parasitism. Both hosts and parasites respond differently to environmental changes, thus, predicting how host–parasite systems behave under the influence of disturbance remains a challenge. The aim of the study was to check how the differences in thermal conditions of lakes affect life‐history traits of hosts and the level of parasitism, using a Viviparus contectus–digenean trematodes model. Overall, we examined 480 individuals of V. contectus collected from a thermally polluted lake (TPL) and a natural lake (NL). Host features, including body size and fecundity, as well as the prevalence and species richness of digenean trematodes in snail populations were investigated. We found that V. contectus from the TPL were significantly larger, heavier, and females were more fertile than snails collected from the NL. A total of 20.4% of the collected snails were infected with digenean larvae. The species richness of parasites was twice as high in the NL compared to the TPL (six and three species, respectively). A significant difference in the percentage of snails infected with parasites was identified between both types of lakes, with a higher prevalence of V. contectus in the NL (31.3%) compared to the TPL (7.3%). These results indicate that host–parasite systems follow the environmental changes in lakes due to thermal pollution by increasing fertility and metabolism rate of viviparid hosts and by decreasing the prevalence and diversity of digenean trematodes.

Place-making to transform urban social\u2013ecological systems: insights from the stewardship of urban lakes in Bangalore, India

With cities expanding globally and human populations becoming increasingly urban, sustaining ecosystems that support human well-being in cities is both increasingly challenging and urgent. City residents can take on important roles in the stewardship of public parks, trees, and waterbodies in their neighbourhoods, and sense of place is often brought forward as a motivation for engagement. In Bangalore, neighbourhood lake groups have partnered with public authorities to improve the restoration and upkeep of the city’s disappearing and increasingly polluted lakes. In this study, we focus on five lake groups to investigate the influence of sense of place on stewardship, specifically place-making—a term used to describe intentional practices to design, improve, and manage ‘good’ public spaces. In each group, three-to-six members were interviewed and a survey tool was used to assess the place attachments and meanings associated with their specific lakes. Findings show that approaches to place-making were influenced by childhood experiences with nature, and an appreciation for what is becoming increasingly scarce in a fast-growing city; greenery, pleasant temperatures, free-flowing water, clean air, and access to nature. Over time, involvement in lake care has reinforced attachment for certain place meanings, but also broadened the range of meanings people are attached to, including seeing the lakes as places to express national and cultural pride. Findings also show that longer involvement in stewardship tends to give rise to a more complex understanding of the lakes’ social and ecological functions, which in turn motivates the lake groups to advocate for a more socially just and nature-oriented approach to lake management. Based on our findings, we propose that stewardship groups can influence how a broader community interacts with and cares for urban green spaces, foster a more complex understanding of the varied benefits green spaces generate, and carve out alternative and more sustainable pathways for the governance of urban ecology.

Ecotoxicological studies of Akmola region lakes

The research object is water, bottom sediments in Akmola region lakes located in the intensive agriculture area. The territory of Akmola region is subjected to intensive human impacts, including the inevitable pollution with agricultural pesticides, which are ecotoxicants. The work has carried out hydrochemical studies in technogenic polluted lakes: general hydrochemical indicators, persistent organic pollutant content. The POPs in the samples were determined on the gas chromatograph Clarus 580 (PerkinElmer) with a mass spectrometer detector Clarus-SQ 8. According to the analysis results, the general hydrochemical pollution is classified as an average. The MPC excess indicators in the Akmola region lakes are observed for salt ammonium (up to 0.002 MPC), magnesium (up to 1.15 MPC), nitrites (up to 1.12 MPC), petroleum products (up to 1.98 MPC), iron (up to 2.0 MPC), SSAS (up to 3.8 MPC). High concentration indicators for the sulphate (3.5 MPC), copper (4.3 MPC), magnesium (1.125 MPC). Mainly the lakes are dominated by sulfates, ion chloride. But in general among 21 investigated POPs 8 substances are accumulated in bottom sediments of the investigated Zhalauly, Tastykol lakes, Unnamed Lake to the south of Akkol village, Itemgen lake, Zhalanash lake near Malinovka village (near Astana city), Kokay, Yesey, Bolshoe Chebachie.

Assessing Aquatic Ecological Health for Lake Poyang, China: Part I Index Development

The development of an ecosystem health index to assess health status in freshwater lakes is urgently needed in China, especially in polluted lakes. This study developed a specific Ecosystem Health Index (LP-EHI) for Lake Poyang in China. LP-EHI quantified lake health from the perspectives of physical, chemical, biological integrity and social service. Physical integrity indices included hydrological conditions (water level and runoff), basic morphometric characteristics (lake area and shoreline), and tributary connectivity. Chemical integrity indices used water quality, nutrition, and toxicity to quantify chemical impairment. Biological integrity indicators covered six major components of the aquatic food chain, namely, phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic macroinvertebrates, wetland plants, fish, and wintering birds. Social service indices included drinking water, pathogenic potential, flood storage capacity, sand mining, and dish-shaped sub-lake areas under management to measure whether the lake fulfilled the needs of human society. Reference and impaired conditions for each metric were defined by “historical” conditions, “least disturbed” conditions, national standards and expert opinions. The value of LP-EHI ranging from 0 to 1 was divided into five health conditions: excellent (≥0.8), good (0.6–0.8), fair (0.4–0.6), poor (0.2–0.4) and bad (&lt;0.2). The metrics’ reliability was further validated using a box-and-whisker plot test. The developed index (LP-EHI) is so far the most comprehensive index to evaluate ecosystem health for Lake Poyang, and is well reflected in the unique characteristics of Lake Poyang. It can enhance our understanding of lake health conditions and thus guide lake management to achieve better health conditions.