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Seasonal water quality of shallow and eutrophic Lake Pamvotis, Greece: implications for restoration

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Abstract

Lake Pamvotis is a moderately sized (22 km2) shallow (z avg=4 m) lake with a polymictic stratification regime located in northwest Greece. The lake has undergone cultural eutrophication over the past 40 years and is currently eutrophic (annual averages of FRP=0.07 mg P l-1, TP=0.11 mg P l-1, NH4 +=0.25 mg N l-1, NO3 −=0.56 mg N l-1). FRP and NH4 + levels are correlated to external loading from streams during the winter and spring, and to internal loading during multi-day periods of summer stratification. Algal blooms occurred in summer (July–August green algae, August–September blue-green algae), autumn (October blue-green algae and diatoms), and winter (February diatoms), but not in the spring (March–June). The phytoplankton underwent brief periods of N- and P-limitation, though persistent low transparency (secchi depth of 60–80 cm) also suggests periods of light limitation. Rotifers counts were highest from mid-summer to early autumn whereas copepods were high in the spring and cladocerans were low in the summer. Removal of industrial and sewage point sources a decade ago resulted in a decrease in FRP. A phosphorus mass balance identified further reductions in external loading from the predominately agricultural catchment will decrease FRP levels further. The commercial fishery and lake hatchery also provides opportunities to control algal biomass through biomanipulation measures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Water Research, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia, 6009

    José R. Romero

  2. Municipal Enterprise of the Lake of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece, 45332

    Iphigenia Kagalou

  3. Centre for Water Research, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia, 6009

    Jörg Imberger

  4. Laboratory of Industrial Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece, 45110

    Dimitra Hela & Triantafyllos Albanis

  5. Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece, 45110

    Melina Kotti & Nicholaos Evmirides

  6. Laboratory of Meteorology, Department of Physics, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece, 45110

    Aristides Bartzokas

  7. Medical Faculty, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece, 45110

    Spiros Karkabounas & Joannis Papagiannis

  8. Region of Epirus, Ioannina, Greece, 45333

    Amalia Bithava

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  1. José R. Romero
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Correspondence to José R. Romero.

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Romero, J.R., Kagalou, I., Imberger, J. et al. Seasonal water quality of shallow and eutrophic Lake Pamvotis, Greece: implications for restoration. Hydrobiologia 474, 91–105 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016569124312

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