Summary
The results of the limnological investigations of “Swetganga”, one of the thermal springs of Bakreswar, West Bengal, India, have formed the basis of this paper. The samples of water were collected eleven times from the month of September '67 to October '68 at regular intervals for analysis. The physical conditions like depth, temperature and chemical factors like pH, free carbon dioxide, phenolphthalein alkalinity, total alkalinity, total hardness, chloride, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, silicate and dissolved oxygen were determined. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of plankton was also made.
The water of the Kund was found to be distinctly alkaline on all occasions. Since free carbon dioxide was absent in all samples, phenolphthalein alkalinity was always recorded in appreciable quantities.
The lower values of chloride were noted only during the monsoon months due to the dilution of water by the rain. The silicate content showed erratic fluctuations. Large amounts of phosphate were always present in the Kund. The absence of nitrite and traces of nitrate throughout, is a characteristic feature of this thermal spring.
An attempt has been made, whenever possible, to attribute the reason of the changes and also to correlate the plankton blooms with the chemical factors. The coefficient of correlation between total alkalinity and phytoplankton (−0.529) indicates a negative correlation, significant at the 10 per cent level. No significant relation between phytoplankton and pH values (r = 0.183) has been observed. An apparent inverse relation between dissolved oxygen and phytoplankton has been noted.
A list of phytoplankton and zooplankton has been incorporated. Total phytoplankton varied between 8.91 per cent and 100 per cent and the zooplankton between nil and 91.08 per cent of the total plankton bulk.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Public Health Association - 1960 - Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater 11th Ed. American Public Health Assoc. Inc. New York.
Andrisano, R. & Artusi, G. C. - 1963 - Analisi dell' acqua minerale “Fonte Violi” di Tabiano. L'ateneo Parmense, 34: 1–12.
Andrisano, R., Amoretti, L. & Artusi, G. C. - 1964a - Analisi dell' aqua mediominerale della Sorgente n. 1 (1) del Monte Carameto-Bardi (Parma). L'ateneo Parmense, 35: 1–12.
Andrisano, R., Amoretti, L. & Artusi, G. C. - 1964b - Analisi dell' acqua medio-minerale della sorgente n. 2 (“S 2”) del Monte Carameto-Bardi (Parma). “L'ateneo Parmense”, 35: 457–465.
Brock, T. D. - 1967a - Relationship between standing crop and primary productivity along a hot spring thermal gradient. Ecology. 48: 566–571.
Brock, T. D. - 1967b - Life at high temperatures. Science. 158: 1012–1019.
Brock, T. D. - 1967c - Microorganisms adapted to high temperature. Nature. 214: 882–885.
Brock, T. D. & Brock, M. L. - 1966 - Temperature optima for algal development in Yellowstone and Iceland Hot springs. Nature, 209: 733–734.
Brock, T. D. & Brock, M. L. - 1967a - The measurement of chlorophyl, primary productivity, photophosphorylation, and macromolecules in Benthic algal mats. Limnol. Oceanogr. 12: 600–605.
Brock, T. D. & Brock, M. L. - 1967b - The hot springs of the Furnas Valley, Azores. Int. Revue. ges. Hydrobiol. 52: 545–558.
Brock, T. D. & Brock, M. L. - 1968a - Relationship between environmental temperature and optimum temperature of bacteria along a hot spring thermal gradient. J. Appl. Bact. 31: 54–58.
Brock, T. D. & Brock, M. L. - 1968b - Measurement of steady state growth rates of a thermophilic alga directly in nature. J. Bact. 95: 811–815.
Brues, C. T. - 1924 - Observations on animal life in the thermal waters of Yellowstone Park, with a consideration of thermal environment. Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts. Sci. 59: 371–437.
Brues, C. T. - 1927 - Animal life in hot springs. Quart. Rev. Biol. 2: 181–203.
Brues, C. T. - 1928 - Studies on the fauna of hot springs in the Western United States and the biology of thermophilous animals. Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts. Sci. 63: 139–228.
Brues, C. T. - 1929 - The insect fauna of thermal springs. Trans. 4th. Int. Congress Ent. 2: 237–240.
Chaudhury, A. N., Bose, B. B. & Banerjee, G. - 1946 - Studies on the geochemistry of thermal springs of Bakreswar, West Bengal, India. Int. Geol. Cong. (Abstract) Sec. 12: 191–192.
Chatterjee, A. - 1959 - Vakresvara — a centre Saivism in Medieval Bengal. Indian. Hist. Quart. 35: 57–64.
Chatterjee, D. & Chatterjee, S. D. - 1958 - The Bakreswar thermal springs. Sci. Cult. 23: 336–341.
Dev, S. - 1964 - Investigations of the thermal springs for the possibility of hardnessing geothermal energy. Sci. Cult. 30: 217–221.
Drouet, F. - 1938 - Myxophyceae of the Yale North India Expedition, collected by G. E. Hutchinson. Trans. Am. Micr. Soc. 57: 127–131.
Emoto, Y. - 1967 - Studies on the thermal flora of Japan. Part - 8, (In Japanese), Mag. Hot Spring. Eng. Assoc. 5: 124–131.
Gonzalves, E. - 1947 - The algal flora of the hot springs of Vajreswari near Bombay. J. Univ. Bombay. 16: 22–27.
Guner, H. - 1966 - Die Mikroflora der Thermalwässer von Pamukkale. Sci. Rep. Fac. Sci. Ege Univ. 31: 1–35.
Hubbs, C. & Hettler, W. F. - 1964 - Observation on the toleration of high temperatures and low dissolved oxygen in natural waters by Crenichcthys baileyi. Southwestern Naturalist. 9: 245–248.
Prasad, B. N. & Srivastava, P. N. - 1965 - Thermal algae from Himalayan hot springs. Proc. Nat. Inst. Sci. India 31 B.: 45–53.
Stockner, J. G. - 1968 - Algal growth and primary productivity in a thermal stream. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada. 25: 2037–2058.
Vasisht, P. C. - 1967 - Thermal Cyanophyceae of India. Ph. D. thesis. University of Panjab. Chandigarh, India.
Vouk, V. - 1950 - Grundriß zu einer Balneobiologie der Thermen. Basel, Birkhanser, 88 pp.
Winterbourn, M. J. & Brown, T. J. - 1967 - Observations on the faunas of two warm streams in the Taupo thermal region. New zeal. J. Mar. Freshwater Res. 1: 38–50.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jana, B.B., Sarkar, H.L. The limnology of “Swetganga” — A thermal spring of Bakreswar, West Bengal, India. Hydrobiologia 37, 33–47 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016366
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016366