Suitability of Water Quality Indices for Application in Lakes in the Mediterranean

Water quality indices (WQIs) are efficient and powerful tools for evaluating, organising and communicating information on the overall quality of surface water bodies. The use of these indices may be very helpful in evaluating the water quality of aquatic systems in relation to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). In this study, two well-known water quality indices have been selected for evaluation: the CCME (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment) and NSF (National Sanitation Foundation). These WQIs were applied in the Polyphytos reservoir-Aliakmon river in Greece where monthly water quality data were available for the period June 2004 to May 2005. The available dataset included values of the following parameters: water depth, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, pH, transparency (Secchi disk depth), BOD₅, COD, total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), ammonium (NH₄ ⁺), nitrite (NO₂ ^?) and nitrate (NO₃ ^?), and total Κjeldahl nitrogen (TKN). The application of the two WQIs was made using specialised, freely available software-tools. A comparison of their performance and a qualitative judgement on their suitability on expressing the quality of a surface water body is presented. The classification results were compared with those obtained by the WFD-ECOFRAME approach of the EU. Based on the applicability and drawbacks of the examined indices, useful conclusions were derived and discussed. Among others, it is concluded that the NSF-WQI is a more robust index and produces a classification nearer that of the WFD-ECOFRAME approach when compared to the CCME-WQI.     

Assessing the Impacts of Four Land Use Types on the Water Quality of Wetlands in Japan

This study examined how changes in the composition of land use can affect wetland water quality. Twenty-four wetlands located in Hiroshima prefecture in the western part of Japan were selected for this purpose. The water quality parameters that were explored include: pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solid, temperature and different forms of nitrogen. These important indicators of the water quality in the study area were measured from December 2005 to December 2006. The composition of land uses was determined for the catchments of the wetlands. They were then categorized into three classes, including non-disturbed, moderately-disturbed and highly-disturbed wetlands, based on the extent of urban area (as the most disruptive land use type within the catchment of the wetlands). The relationship between land use types and water quality parameters for the wetlands was statistically examined. The findings indicated that there were significant positive relationships between the proportion (%) of urban areas within catchments of the wetlands and EC (r?=?0.67, p?<?0.01), TDS (r?=?0.69, p?<?0.01), TN (r?=?0.92, p?<?0.01), DON (r?=?0.6, p?<?0.01), NH₄ ⁺(r?=?0.47, p?<?0.05), NO₂ ^? (r?=?0.50, p?<?0.05), while negative relationships were observed between the proportion (%) of forest area in these wetlands and EC (r?=??0.62, p?<?0.01), TDS (r?=??0.68, p?<?0.01), TN (r?=??0.68, p?<?0.01), DON (r?=?-0.43, p?<?0.05), and NH₄ ⁺ (r?=??0.55, p?<?0.01). Analysis of the variance also revealed significant differences within the wetland groups in terms of the annual mean of electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, total nitrogen, nitrite, dissolved inorganic nitrogen and dissolved organic nitrogen in the study area. Moreover, the study also indicated that the forest area plays a significant role in withholding nutrient loads from the wetlands, and hence, it can act as a sink for surface/subsurface nutrient inputs flowing into such water bodies from the watersheds.     

Effect of mixing patterns and light dose on growth of Anabaena circinalis in a turbid,lowland river

Anabaena circinalis is common in the lower Murray River, Australia, and may compromise water quality due to the release of toxins. The water is turbid and thermal structure may significantly affect light availability. An in situ experiment was designed to represent complete mixing, diurnal stratification and persistent stratification and test the effect on growth of A. circinalis. To represent the mixing treatments, cells were incubated in diffusion chambers that were adjusted to different positions in the water‐column throughout the day. Populations exposed to persistent stratification over six days grew significantly faster than the other treatments at a rate of 0.65 day^?1. However, growth of the diurnally stratified populations was slower than (0.28 day^?1), or similar to (0.40 day^?1) the mixed population (0.40 day^?1). Therefore, the growth of the subpopulations exposed to the euphotic zone was insufficient to counteract the slow growth of the majority that were confined to darkness during the stratified period. A relationship between growth rate (G) and average daily light dose (I) was constructed and growth rate at optimal light dose (G_max), slope of linear section of G–I curve (α), and light dose where lines of G_max and light‐limited portion of G–I curve intersect (I_k) were solved as 0.66 day^?1, 0.12 day^?1 (mol^?1 m^?2 day^?1)^?1 and 5.4 mol m^?2 day^?1, respectively. Using these parameters, a model was developed to predict possible differences in growth between diurnal and mixed populations under varying conditions of vertical light attenuation, mixed depth and incubation time. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anthropogenic‐induced shifts in salinity and nutrient status of two freshwater tropical lakes in India

An understanding of ongoing changes in salinity and nutrient status, as influenced by anthropogenic forcing factors, is important for integrated lake basin management (ILBM) and conservation of water resources in dry tropical regions. This study analysed a range of water quality attributes, including salinity, nitrate (NO₃^?), ammonia (NH₄ ⁺ ), phosphate (PO₄ ^{3 ?}) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in two freshwater lakes in Rajasthan, India for three consecutive years (2000–2002). Between‐lake comparisons indicated marked differences in most of the water quality variables. The pH in both study lakes remained above neutral. Water hardness, salinity and concentrations of total dissolved salts (TDS), chlorides, NO₃^?, NH₄⁺, PO₃^3? and DOC were high in Lake Udaisagar, which received inputs from agricultural drainage and urban–industrial releases. The DOC in Lake Baghdara, which drains a woodland catchment, was similar to that for Lake Udaisagar, indicating the role of allochtonous inputs in the build‐up of DOC. The results of this study indicated that increasing human interferences have increased the nutrient concentrations in Lake Udaisagar. This factor, coupled with extended periods of dryness, drives these two freshwater lakes towards a high salinity. This study provides evidence of a human‐induced salinity increase and has relevance for ILBM and for the conservation of freshwater resources in dry regions.     

Prediction and simulation of monthly groundwater levels by genetic programming

Groundwater level is an effective parameter in the determination of accuracy in groundwater modeling. Thus, application of simple tools to predict future groundwater levels and fill-in gaps in data sets are important issues in groundwater hydrology. Prediction and simulation are two approaches that use previous and previous-current data sets to complete time series. Artificial intelligence is a computing method that is capable to predict and simulate different system states without using complex relations. This paper investigates the capability of an adaptive neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and genetic programming (GP) as two artificial intelligence tools to predict and simulate groundwater levels in three observation wells in the Karaj plain of Iran. Precipitation and evaporation from a surface water body and water levels in observation wells penetrating an aquifer system are used to fill-in gaps in data sets and estimate monthly groundwater level series. Results show that GP decreases the average value of root mean squared error (RMSE) as the error criterion for the observation wells in the training and testing data sets 8.35 and 11.33 percent, respectively, compared to the average of RMSE by ANFIS in prediction. Similarly, the average value of RMSE for different observation wells used in simulation improves the accuracy of prediction 9.89 and 8.40 percent in the training and testing data sets, respectively. These results indicate that the proposed prediction and simulation approach, based on GP, is an effective tool in determining groundwater levels.     

Physicochemical characteristics of Lake IRAD, an artificial lake in Wakwa region, Cameroon

Wakwa is a region in north Cameroon characterized by intensive cattle production. This study evaluated the physicochemical characteristics of the waters in Lake IRAD, located near Wakwa, which is the main water source for cattle grazing in this area. Water samples were collected at four sampling sites during the rainy and dry seasons (April, July, October and February). The chemical composition of the water samples was analysed for various constituents, including nitrate (NO₃^–), chloride (Cl^?), phosphate (PO₄^3?), bicarbonate (HCO₃^?), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), aluminium (Al), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), ammonia–nitrogen (NH₄–N) and organic matter (OM). The mineral composition varied significantly (P < 0.05) with the sampling period. High concentrations of zinc (0.96 mg L^?1) and dissolved iron (1.23 mg L^?l) were observed during the dry season. Total iron (3.25 mg L^?1), OM (15.4 mg of O₂ L^?1), nitrate (28.82 mg L^?1) and NH₄–N (1.05 mg L^?1) concentrations were highest during the rainy season. The iron, OM and NH₄–N concentrations were higher than the USEPA‐recommended values (0.2 mg L^?1, 4 mg of O₂ L^?1 and 0.5 mg L^?1, respectively). The phosphate, copper, nickel and cadmium concentrations, considered as the polluting substances, were present in negligible concentrations, being below the detection limits of the analytical techniques used to measure them. The high iron, OM and nitrogen concentrations were attributed to water‐leached soil run‐off, as well as the activity of animals in the lake. Sampling sites 1 and 2, which were used mostly by cattle, were observed to have the highest concentrations of NH₄–N, compared with sites 3 and S (exit point). It will be necessary to delimit cattle access points to the lake to reduce this type of contamination of drinking water.     

Quality Evaluation of Groundwater Resources using Geostatistical Methods (Case Study: Central Lorestan Plain,Iran)

In this research, based on the qualitative data of 40 wells, variations of water quality parameters of the Central Plain Aquifer were evaluated using kriging and IDW (Inverse Distance Weighting) methods. Owing to the normal distribution of the studied parameters (except Na⁺, SO₄^2?, and TH: total hardness), ordinary kriging was used for modeling. The analysis of the data trends indicated that all the variables were influenced by in two general trends, i.e., NW–SE and NE–SW. In fact, these trends were a result of the effect of the structural conditions on aquifer properties such as transmissivity and flow direction. Variogram analysis (based on C₀ near zero and C₀/σ² ratio between 0.0–0.5) showed that the Na⁺, TDS (total dissolved solids), Ca²⁺, and TH variables have a good spatial structure and the BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), COD (chemical oxygen demand), NO₃^?, and EC variables have poor spatial structure. The BOD, COD, NO₃^?, and EC (electrical conductivity) variables have the smallest range and isotropic distribution. On the other hand, the Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, SO₄^2?, Cl^?, HCO₃^?, pH, TDS, TH and Alk (alkalinity) parameters are characterized by anisotropic distributions. The Na⁺, TDS, Ca²⁺, and TH variables have the largest range. The results showed that both the IDW and kriging methods have close estimates to one another. The pH variable decreases toward the outlet whereas the EC and TDS variables increase along the direction of water flow and toward the outlet. The distributions of the BOD and COD variables do not perfectly match with the aggregation of industrial activities in the central part as well as the agricultural activities in the southeastern and central parts of the aquifer. The distributions of the Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Alk variables completely follow the geology condition and regional spread of carbonate formations. The Na⁺ concentration increases from the center toward the outlet. The concentration of the Cl^? variable is the highest in the central part of the plain due to the concentration of agricultural and industrial activities. The distribution of the SO₄^2? variable is influenced by a natural factor (lithology), especially in the southeastern parts and the outlet as well as artificial factors (agricultural and industrial activities) in the central and southeastern parts of the aquifer. The NO₃^? variable, which is directly influenced by agricultural and livestock-farming activities, has its maximum concentration in the southeastern areas.     

Hydrochemistry of Lake Rara: A high mountain lake in western Nepal

High altitude ecosystems have important natural ecological functions but are under increasing impacts from human activities and climate change. A detailed analysis of the water chemistry of Lake Rara, a high mountain lake in western Nepal, was carried out in October 2015 and April 2016. A total of 31 water samples were collected. Major ions (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, SO₄^2?, NO₃^? and Cl^?) were analysed by ion chromatography. Si and PO₄^3? were analysed following the standard protocols. Conductivity, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity and dissolved oxygen (DO) were measured on‐site. The lake is oligotrophic characterized by low PO₄^3? concentration (0.06 ± 0.01 mg/L), high DO values (6.73 ± 0.06 and 10.89 ± 0.86 mg/L), alkaline pH (8.42 ± 0.3 and 8.32 ± 0.23) and low conductivity (189.93 ± 5.3 and 189.22 ± 5.8 μS/cm). The concentrations of the major cations were in the order of Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺ > Na⁺ (during both seasons), and for anions, it was HCO₃^? > SO₄^2? > Cl^? > NO₃^? and HCO₃^? > Cl^? > NO₃^? > SO₄^2? during postmonsoon and premonsoon, respectively. One‐way ANOVA revealed significant seasonal variations (p  < 0.05) in most of the physicochemical parameters. The increased concentrations of most of the ions in the premonsoon time probably reflect long‐range transport of materials through dry deposition, whereas higher concentrations of NO₃^? and Cl^? in some sites possibly reflect the localized impacts of settlement and grazing. The lake water was classified as Ca(Mg)HCO₃. High (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)/Tz⁺ ratio (0.97 in postmonsoon and 0.95 in premonsoon) and low (Na⁺ + K⁺)/Tz⁺ ratio (0.03 in postmonsoon and 0.04 in premonsoon) confirm carbonate weathering as the principal source of major ions with bedrock geology governing the water chemistry. The findings of this study build on the baseline dataset for assessing future anthropogenic influence on the lake and subsequent development for future lake management strategies.     

应用非参数的MK和ITA方法分析地下水水质参数变化特征——以新三矿含水层为例

矿区地下水水质变化是影响矿区生态环境和矿井安全生产的制约因素之一,正确认识水质变化趋势是首要任务。根据以往实测水质参数pH、COD、Na~++K~+、Ca~(2+)、Mg~(2+)、Cl~-、SO_4~(2-)和HCO_3~-的数据,采用Mann-Kendall检验法(MK)和Innovative Trend Analysis(ITA)探讨新三矿由上而下6个不同含水层水质参数随时间的演变规律,并且针对不同的数值变化范围选用不同的ITA指数。通过比较,两种方法结果有很好的一致性,结论认为:相比MK检测法,定量的ITA法拥有更多的优点,可以图形化地表示分析结果,可以通过将水质参数值分为低、中、高水平更好地分析水质参数的趋势和次要趋势;8种水质参数中,Ca~(2+)和Mg~(2+)相较其他离子能表现出更显著的变化趋势;6种含水层中,大青灰岩含水层中Cl~-浓度的低、中值下降而高值上升,煤层顶板山西组砂岩含水层和底板奥陶系灰岩含水层大部分水质参数显著下降,矿化度逐渐降低。     

Variations in zooplankton community structure and water quality conditions in three habitat types in northern Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria is vulnerable to increasing eutrophication, which has become manifested in ecological changes not yet fully understood. From October 2009 to January 2010, the influence of water quality on zooplankton community structure in three habitats in northern Lake Victoria, including sewage lagoons at the lake shores, Napoleon Gulf (NG) and the interface between the lake and the Nile River (also known as Source of the Nile River), was examined. Selected physico‐chemical parameters (dissolved oxygen concentration; water temperature; electrical conductivity; water depth) were measured in‐situ, while water samples were collected for chlorophyll‐a determinations. Zooplankton was sampled with conical plankton net (mesh size 60 μm; 0.25‐m mouth diameter). The NG and Source of the River Nile (SN) sampling sites exhibited significantly higher species richness, relative to the Sewage Lagoons (SL) site (F_2,69 = 68.533; P < 0.05). Higher mean densities and dry biomass of zooplankton was generally a characteristic of the SL site (8715 ± 3241 ind L^?1; 1862 ± 451 μg L^?1), compared to the NG (119 ± 24 ind L^?1; 53 ± 8 μg L^?1) and SN sites (151 ± 26 ind L^?1; 58 ± 9 μg L^?1). Copepoda constituted a high numerical composition of the zooplankton at the NG and SN sites (>90% for both sites), while Rotifera dominated the zooplankton community at the SL site (97%). The mean values (±SE) of soluble reactive phosphorus (4060.7 ± 776.6 μg L^?1) and nitrate–nitrogen (2121.7 ± 355.5 μg L^?1) were much higher for the SL site, compared with the SN (8.2 ± 1.1 μg L^?1; 28.6 ± 5.3 μg L^?1, respectively), and NG site (7.8 ± 0.8 μg L^?1; 32.7 ± 5.4 μg L^?1, respectively). This study indicated the nutrient‐rich conditions observed at the SL site suppress the zooplankton species diversity, but favour species‐specific abundance and biomass. These study results indicate the zooplankton community structure can be used as a biological indicator of water quality in the Lake Victoria region.     

浅层地下水水化学特征与土体盐分相关性研究

为研究南通地区浅层地下水与土体盐分特征的相关性,采集了31件水样、220件土样,并收集了60组水质资料,分析了浅层地下水水化学特征和土体盐分特征.研究表明:浅层地下水自西向东,TDS逐渐增大,主要为咸水和盐水,水化学类型为Cl—Na型,TDS与各离子(K+、Na+、Ca2+、Mg2+、Cl-、SO42-)的相关性高;土...     

基于PSO-SVR模型的供水系统余氯预测研究

支持向量机回归(SVR)模型在非线性预测方面具有优良性能,基于该模型对供水系统余氯变化过程进行预测,并采用二阶振荡粒子群优化算法(SOPSO)对SVR模型参数进行优化调整,以提高小样本状态下模型的模拟精度,增强模型的泛化性能。将优化后的SVR模型应用于某供水系统余氯预测,结果表明:在有限样本状态下,优化后的SVR模型的预测平均误差小,明显优于BP神经网络模型和ARX模型,并具有较强的稳健性。该预测模型能较好地解决传统模型在小样本状态下余氯预测精度不高、预测效果较差的问题,为研究供水系统余氯变化过程及动态预测提供了新的途径。     

Evaluation of Owabi Reservoir (Ghana) water quality using factor analysis

The Owabi Reservoir receives water inflows from several streams that drain through the rapidly urbanizing towns in the Kumasi metropolis. The reservoir catchment had been encroached upon by various human activities, resulting in the generation of large volumes of waste water being discharged into streams draining to the reservoir. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the water quality of Owabi Reservoir. Water samples from 10 sampling sites within the reservoir were analysed for various water quality parameters; namely, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), sulphate (), phosphate (), chloride (Cl^?), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), total dissolved solids (TSS), turbidity, faecal coliform and E. coli. The measured water quality parameters were compared to the guidelines proposed by the WHO for drinking water and natural background levels. Mean values for Pb, As, turbidity, TDS, faecal coliform and E. coli were greater than the WHO guidelines. Factor analysis for the measured parameters resulted in the extraction of five factors accounting for 83.13% of the total variance. Factor 1 showed strong loadings for , and TDS, reflecting a negative influence on the water quality by agricultural discharges. Factor 2 showed high loadings for EC, Cl^? and apparent colour, while Factor 3 registered high loadings for colour and faecal coliform, suggesting domestic wastewater discharges and the presence of decaying organic matter. Factors 4 and 5 showed high loadings for copper, lead, turbidity and E. coli, an indication of both organic and inorganic pollution. Accordingly, periodic monitoring of Owabi Reservoir water quality, and the streams draining into it, is recommended as a means of ensuring good water quality, as well as facilitating the identification of the possible types and sources of water pollutants entering the reservoir.     

Water Quality Assessment of the Mudurnu River,Turkey, Using Biotic Indices

In this study, the effect of domestic and industrial pollutants on the water quality of Mudurnu River was searched. Water and benthic macroinvertebrate samples were taken from five stations selected on Mudurnu River during 12 months (2006–2007). COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen), NO₃^-{\rm{NO}}_{3}^{-}–N (Nitrate–Nitrogen), PO₄^-3{\rm{PO}}_{4}^{-3}–P (Phosphate–Phosphorous), NH₄⁺{\rm{NH}}_{4}^{+}–N (Ammonium–Nitrogen), Phenol data and scores of BMWP (Biological Monitoring Working Party) score system, ASPT (Average Score per Taxon), TBI (Trent Biotic Index), BBI (Belgian Biotic Index), Margalef’s index (R), Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H), Simpson’s diversity index (D) were determined. The relationship between data of chemical parameters and scores of biotic indices were investigated by using statistical methods. With decision tree technique, artificial neural network (ANN) and logistic regression model, chemical water quality was predicted from scores of biotic indices. A success at 67% was provided in the prediction of chemical water quality class of Mudurnu River.     

Growth and Smoltification of Three Norwegian Strains of Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar Reared under Different Thermal Regimes

A comparative study was performed with juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar from three stocks in Western Norway that differ in their natural conditions. One is from warm, lowland river conditions (Årdal), one is from cold glacial river conditions (Stryn) and the last one (Suldalslågen) is from a hydropower‐regulated river. The salmon parr were tagged and reared at 4, 5.5 and 7 °C and simulated natural water temperature (SNT) for river Suldalslågen. Size distribution was unimodal at 4 °C, with a change to a bimodal distribution, representing potential 1+ and 2+ smolts, at the other temperature regimes. The relative biomass of 1+ smolts varied between the stocks as Stryn (cold glacial river) stock had the highest number of smolts at 7 °C and the Suldalsågen stock (hydropower‐regulated river) displaying the highest number at the SNT regime. Overall, the Stryn stock, originating from cold river conditions, seemed to be well adapted to growth and smoltification at cold temperatures, whereas salmon parr from river Suldalslågen seem to be better adapted to the natural temperature regime (SNT) of this river than the other two stocks. This was reflected in the gill Na⁺,K⁺‐ATPase as the Suldalslågen stock showed increasing activity from 16 April (4.2 µmol ADP mg protein^?1 h^?1) to 10 May (9.2 µmol ADP mg protein^?1 h^?1), and at the end of the experiment, enzyme activity in Suldalslågen stock was significantly higher than both Stryn (5.7) and Årdal (5.9 µmol ADP mg protein^?1 h^?1) stock. In contrast, the warm lowland stock, Årdal, fish had low Na⁺,K⁺‐ATPase activity with no distinct peak at any of the sampled dates from March through May. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of the Impact of Municipal Solid Waste on Groundwater Quality near the Sangamner City using GIS Approach

The present work aims at assessing the impact of MSW on the groundwater quality around dumping yard site, located near the Sangamner city by water quality index (WQI) and its integration in geographical information system (GIS). Groundwater samples (n?=?15) around the dumping yard were collected using Garmin GPS device in October 2013 and October 2014. Physico-chemical analysis of same samples was carried out for pH, EC, TDS, Na⁺, K⁺,Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, TH, Cl^?, HCO₃ ^?, SO₄ ^2? and NO₃ ^? along with the heavy metals like Fe, Zn, Cd and Cr by using standard methods. Similarly, SAR, KRs, RSC and SSP were also calculated to know the groundwater quality into irrigation perspective. WQI for 15 samples were calculated using physico-chemical results/data of 12 parameters and its desirable limit of BIS standard. Generated WQI (z) for October 2013 and October 2014 were integrated with latitude (y) and longitude (x) values, collected using GPS during the field work. Integrated xyz data were then interpolated in Surfer-10 GIS software using inverse distance weight (IDW) method to estimate the groundwater quality of the study area. Study revealed that the groundwater quality around the dumping yard area does not confirm to drinking and domestic purposes as per the WQI and BIS standard. However, the groundwater quality is marginally suitable for irrigation as per SAR, KRs, RSC and SSP. The influence of leachate from MSW dumping site to surrounding groundwater is creating a serious concern and susceptible to potential health hazards. Thus, continuous monitoring of groundwater is desperately required in order to minimize the groundwater pollution for control the pollution-caused MSW.     

The dying Dead Sea: The microbiology of an increasingly extreme environment

The Dead Sea, on the border between Israel and Jordan, currently contains around 348 g salt L^?1. Divalent cations (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) dominate over monovalent cations (Na⁺, K⁺), while Cl^? and Br^? are the main anions. The pH of the Sea is about 6. The water balance of the lake is negative, having dropped over 1 m year^?1 over the past decade. The water is supersaturated with Na⁺, with massive quantities of halite precipitating to the bottom of the lake. Biological monitoring since 1980 has indicated that blooms of the unicellular green alga Dunaliella and halophilic Archaea of the family Halobacteriaceae only develop following significant dilution of the upper water layers in the lake after very rainy winters. Such events occurred in 1980, and even more dramatically in 1992, when up to 3.5 × 10⁷ Archaea mL^?1 in the diluted upper 5–10 m of the water column coloured the lake red. Species isolated from the lake include Haloferax volcanii, Haloarcula marismortui, Halorubrum sodomense and Halobaculum gomorrense. Dunaliella was no longer observed in the lake after 1996, with prokaryote numbers remaining low. To characterize the residual microbial community in the lake, biomass was collected in February 2007 for environmental genomic analyses. The results were compared with the metagenome of microbial bloom material collected in 1992. The 16S rRNA archaeal phylotypes recovered from the 2007 sample were diverse, with phylotypes distantly related to the genera Halorhabdus, Haloplanus, Natronomonas and others. Halorhabdus sp. also was recovered in culture. The 1992 bloom sample was very homogeneous, however, with a single cluster remotely related to Halobacterium salinarum. These results illustrate that the microbial communities are dynamic, even in one of the most extreme environments on Earth, and exhibit strong shifts in species composition as conditions for life become increasingly adverse.     

A review of the effects of water transfers in the La Grande Hydroelectric Complex (Québec,Canada)

Construction of the La Grande Complex in Eastern Canada called for complete or partial diversion of six rivers, the mean annual discharge of which varied from 60 to 1600 m³ s^?1, and the transfer of water from two adjoining watersheds (1586m³ s^?1) into La Grande Rivière. Three of these rivers with reduced flow, Eastmain (from 700 to 95m³ s^?1), Opinaca (from 260 to 35m³ s^?1), and Caniapiscau (from 1708 to 960m³ s^?1) and the waterways with increased flows, Boyd-Sakami (from 1 to 811m³ s^?1) and La Grande Rivière (from 1760 to 3400m³ s^?1) were intensively monitored from 1978 to 1988, while the others were surveyed sporadically. Very few modifications were observed, compared to previous conditions, in banks stability, water quality, and aquatic fauna of the affected rivers: those which appeared can be explained by the water level fluctuations, the water quality of the tributaries of the residual drainage basin, and/or by the direct influence of the reservoirs. In James Bay, the areal extent of the Eastmain River and La Grand Rivière plumes varied with discharge in an exponential relation, mostly under ice cover; resources from the coastal environment had not yet undergone any major changes. Because of the very small population dwelling in the area, less than 3000 inhabitants, modifications in the hydrological regime of these rivers did cause relatively few impacts, the main being greater banks instability in specific locations, reduction of the thickness and ice cover on La Grande Rivière, enhancement of navigation constraints on Eastmain River, and higher mercury levels in fish related to operation of the reservoirs.     

Assessing Water Quality of Three Gorges Reservoir, China, Over a Five-Year Period From 2006 to 2011

Understanding temporal variability in water quality in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) is crucial for evaluating environmental effects of damming and protecting China’s largest freshwater resource. This study examined water quality changes in the main channel of the Yangtze River after dam completion as well as its relationship with water level fluctuation (WLF), controlled by annual impoundment operations and conditioned by flooding. Finally, the mass balance budget and integrative water quality indexing (WQI) methods were applied to elucidate the status of overall water quality since dam completion. Results showed that TGR outlet water (Yichang) exhibited higher pH and COD_Mn values and lower concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO) and ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) than inlet water (Zhutuo). Temporal variations in water quality parameters displayed similar trends for the outlet and inlet. Water quality parameters all showed negative correlations to water level, revealing the different effects of damming on water quality. It was estimated that reservoir impoundment led to a DO depletion of 1495.5 (±1482.0)?×?10³ tons/yr and a COD_Mn increase of 564.0 (±405.0)?×?10³ tons/yr, likely deriving from various internal pollutant loads from the WLF zone and tributary watersheds. According to WQI, TGR water quality remained at healthy levels. However, WQI linear regression showed that water quality at the outlet significantly decreased over time, indicating that the construction of the Three Gorges Dam generally caused water quality deterioration. Further investigation is required to determine the spatial distribution of point and non-point pollution sources and to identify major factors that influence TGR water quality.     

Similarity Metrics-Based Uncertainty Analysis of River Water Quality Models

Uncertainty analysis (UA) is essential to reinforce the decisions made by water resource engineers and managers. In this study, the stepwise multiple linear regression procedure assessed the relationship between water quality parameters and physical characteristics of 48 catchments in the southwestern basin of the Caspian Sea, Iran. The results of the modeling showed that the coefficient of determination ranged between 0.47 and 0.68 and indicated a positive relationship between the area (%) of agricultural lands and the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), potassium (K) and total dissolved solids (TDS). A negative relationship was also found between bicarbonate (HCO₃^?) and the area (%) of the intermediate-density forest. In contrast to previous studies focusing on analyzing the uncertainty of the model parameters, we addressed the uncertainty of the model variables. The results of the GLUE-based uncertainty analysis (UA) performed on the model’s variables indicated that the measures of the R-factor for all models were between 0.13 and 0.98. The lowest R-factor was obtained for the HCO₃^? model (0.13) suggesting it performed well when predicting HCO₃^?. To increase the degree of objectivity in the GLUE-UA method, a set of similarity metrics, including Czekanowski, Motyka, Ruzicka, Cosine, Kumar-Hassebrook, Jaccard and Dice was applied to determine the degree of proximity and or similarity between the probability density functions of the measured and simulated water quality parameters. The measures of the similarity metrics for the HCO₃^? model were generally close to 1, indicating good performance and low uncertainty, while it showed higher uncertainty (between 0.2487 and 0.897) for the other three models (SAR, K, and TDS).