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Anthropogenic‐induced shifts in salinity and nutrient status of two freshwater tropical lakes in India
Author(s) -
Verma Anuya,
Pandey Jitendra
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
lakes and reservoirs: research and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.296
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1440-1770
pISSN - 1320-5331
DOI - 10.1111/lre.12194
Subject(s) - salinity , environmental science , dissolved organic carbon , nutrient , drainage basin , hydrology (agriculture) , water quality , freshwater ecosystem , aquatic ecosystem , ecology , ecosystem , geography , geology , biology , cartography , geotechnical engineering
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 ( NO 3 − ), ammonia ( NH 4 + ), phosphate ( PO 4 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, NO 3 − , NH 4 + , PO 3 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.