Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Monitoring and assessment of anthropogenic activities in mountain lakes: a case of the Fifth Triglav Lake in the Julian Alps

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Fifth Triglav Lake is a remote mountain lake in the Julian Alps. The area of the Julian Alps where the lake is situated is protected by law and lies within the Triglav National Park. Mountain lakes in Slovenia were considered for a long time as pristine, unpolluted lakes, but analyses in the last decade revealed considerable human impact even in such remote places. Eutrophication or excessive accumulation of nutrients is the main problem of most lakes in the temperate climatic zone, also in Slovenia. Since the introduction of fish in 1991, the lake is going through a series of changes for which we do not know exactly where they lead, so the monitoring and assessment of anthropogenic activities are of great importance. For this purpose, a qualitative multiattribute decision model was developed with DEX method to assess ecological effects on the lake. The extent of the ecological effects on the lake is assessed using four main parameters: the trophic state, lake characteristics, environmental parameters, and anthropogenic stressors. Dependence of environmental impact on various external factors beyond human control, such as temperature, precipitation, retention time, and factors on which we have influence, such as the amount of wastewater and the presence of fish in the lake, were also evaluated. The following data were measured: chlorophyll a, nutrients, TP, oxygen, C/N ratio, nutrients in sediment, temperature, precipitation, retention time, and volume. We made assumptions about fish and wastewater, which we could not measure. The main contributions of this work are the designed model and the obtained findings for the Fifth Triglav Lake that can help not only scientists in understanding the complexity of lake-watershed systems and interactions among system components but also local authorities to manage and monitor the lake aquatic environment in an effective and efficient way. The model is flexible and can be also used for other lakes, assuming that the used parameters are measured and anthropogenic stressors are adjusted to a specific situation. The results of assessment are of particular interest for decision makers in protected areas, providing a new approach to the management of the quality of the water environment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ARSO. (2014). Slovenian Environment Agency. Retrieved 2014-09-01 from http://www.arso.gov.si/en/.

  • Bennett, V. J., Fernández-Juricicb, E., Zollnerc, P. A., Beardc, M. J., Westphald, L., & LeBlanc Fisherd, C. L. (2011). Modelling the responses of wildlife to human disturbance: an evaluation of alternative management scenarios for black-crowned night-herons. Ecological Modelling, 222, 2770–2779.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohanec, M. (2003). Decision support. In D. Mladenić, N. Lavrač, M. Bohanec, & S. Moyle (Eds.), Data mining and decision support: integration and collaboration. Boston/Dordrecht/London: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bohanec, M. (2015). DEXi: program for multi-attribute decision making, user’s manual, version 5.00. IJS report DP-11897. Ljubljana: Jožef Stefan Institute. Available at: http://kt.ijs.si/MarkoBohanec/pub/DEXiManual500.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bohanec, M., Messéan, A., Scatasta, S., Angevin, F., Griffiths, B., Krogh, P. H., Žnidaršič, M., & Džeroski, S. (2008). A qualitative multi-attribute model for economic and ecological assessment of genetically modified crops. Ecological Modelling, 215, 247–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohanec, M., Rajkovič, V., Bratko, I., Zupan, B., & Žnidaršič, M. (2013). DEX methodology: three decades of qualitative multi-attribute modelling. Informatica, 37, 49–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouyssou, D., Marchant, T., Pirlot, M., Tsoukiàs, A., & Vincke, P. (2006). Evaluation and decision models with multiple criteria: stepping stones for the analyst. Boston: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brancelj, A. (1999). The extinction of Arctodiaptomus alpinus (Copepoda) following the introduction of charr into a small alpine lake Dvojno jezero (NW Slovenia). Aquatic Ecology, 33, 355–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brancelj, A. (Ed.). (2002). High-mountain lakes in the eastern part of the Julian Alps. Ljubljana: ZRC Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brancelj, A., Šiško, M., Brancelj, I. R., Jeran, Z., & Jacimović, R. (2000). Effects of land use and fish stocking on a mountain lake—evidence from the sediment. Periodicum Biologorum, 102, 259–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapra, S. C., & Martin, J. L. (2004). LAKE2K, a modeling framework for simulating lake water quality (version 1.2): documentation and user’s manual. Medford, MA: Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Tufts University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crossman, N. D., Perry, L. M., Bryan, B. A., & Ostendorf, B. (2007). CREDOS: a conservation reserve evaluation and design optimisation system. Environmental Modelling & Software, 22, 449–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Enters, D., Lücke, A., & Zolitschka, B. (2006). Effects of land-use changes on deposition and composition of organic matter in Frickenhausser See, northern Bavaria, Germany. Science of the Total Environment, 369, 178–187.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2014). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2014-09-01 from http://www.epa.gov/.

  • Epstein, D. M., Neilson, B. T., Goodman, K. J., Stevens, D. K., & Wurtsbaugh, W. A. (2013). A modeling approach for assessing the effect of multiple alpine lakes in sequence on nutrient transport. Aquatic Sciences, 75, 199–212.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Erhartič, B. (2004). Estimation of constructed wetlands applicability at the Triglav National Park mountain huts. Diploma Thesis. Slovenian: University of Ljubljana. English abstract.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2000). Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy. Official Journal of the European Communities.

  • Figueira, J., Greco, S., & Ehrgott, M. (2005). Multi criteria decision analysis: state of the art surveys. Boston, Dordrecht, London: Springer Verlag.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Furrer, G., & Wehrli, B. (1996). Microbial reactions, chemical speciation and multicomponent diffusion in pore waters of a eutrophic lake. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 43, 1075–1091.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geneletti, D. (2002). Ecological evaluation for environmental impact assessment. Utrecht: Netherlands Geographical Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geneletti, D. (2005). Multicriteria analysis to compare the impact of alternative road corridors: a case study in northern Italy. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 23, 135–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollander, D. J., & Smith, M. A. (2001). Microbially-mediated carbon cycling as a control on the δ13C of sedimentary carbon in eutrophic Lake Mendota (USA): new models for interpreting isotopic excursions in the sedimentary record. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 65, 4321–4337.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ishizaka, A., & Nemery, P. (2013). Multi-criteria decision analysis: methods and software. Somerset: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Jopp, F., Reuter, H., & Breckling, B. (Eds.). (2011). Modelling complex ecological dynamics: an introduction into ecological modelling. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jørgensen, S. E. (2010). A review of recent developments in lake modelling. Ecological Modelling, 221, 689–692.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kontić, B., Bohanec, M., & Urbančič, T. (2006). An experiment in participative environmental decision making. The Environmentalist, 26, 5–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kopaček, J., Hejzlar, J., Vrba, J., & Stuchlik, E. (2011). Phosphorus loading of mountain lakes: terrestrial export and atmospheric deposition. Limnology and Oceanography, 56, 1343–1354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laukkanen, S., Kangas, A., & Kangas, J. (2002). Applying voting theory in natural resource management: a case of multiple-criteria group decision support. Journal of Environmental Management, 64, 127–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawson, S. R., & Manning, R. E. (2003). Integrating multiple wilderness values into a decision-making model for Denali National Park and Preserve. Journal for Nature Conservation, 11, 355–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann, M. F., Bernasconi, S. M., Barbieri, A., & McKenzie, J. A. (2002). Preservation of organic matter and alteration of its carbon and nitrogen isotope composition during simulated and in situ early sedimentary diagenesis. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 66, 3573–3584.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leskošek, T. (2007). The consequences of fish introduction into the lake Dvojno jezero (Triglav National Park). Diploma thesis. Slovenian: University of Ljubljana. English abstract.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, H. L., Jin, X. C., & Jing, Y. F. (1999). Environmental dredging technology of lake sediment. Chinese Engineering Science, 1, 81–84 (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Magnea, U., Sciascia, R., Paparella, F., Tiberti, R., & Provenzale, A. (2013). A model for high-altitude alpine lake ecosystems and the effect of introduced fish. Ecological Modelling, 251, 211–220.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meyers, P. A. (2003). Applications of organic geochemistry to paleolimnological reconstructions: a summary of examples from the Laurentian Great Lakes. Organic Geochemistry, 34, 261–289.

  • Muri, G. (2004). Physico-chemical characteristics of lake water in 14 Slovenian mountain lakes. Acta Chimica Slovenica, 51, 257–272.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muri, G. (2013). Atmospheric deposition chemistry in a subalpine area of the Julian Alps, North-West Slovenia. Journal of Limnology, 72, 291–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muri, G., & Brancelj, A. (2003). Seasonal water chemistry variations in three Slovenian mountain lakes. Acta Chimica Slovenica, 50, 137–147.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muri, G., Wakeham, S. G., Pease, T. K., & Faganeli, J. (2004). Evaluation of lipid biomarkers as indicators of changes in organic matter delivery to sediments from Lake Planina, a remote mountain lake in NW Slovenia. Organic Geochemistry, 35, 1083–1093.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muri, G., Čermelj, B., Jaćimović, R., Skaberne, D., Šmuc, A., Burnik, Š. M., Turšič, J., & Vreča, P. (2013). Consequences of anthropogenic activity for two remote alpine lakes in NW Slovenia as tracked by sediment geochemistry. Journal of Paleolimnology, 50, 457–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2014). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 2014-09-01 from http://www.oecd.org/statistics/.

  • Prato, T. (2001). Modeling carrying capacity for national parks. Ecological Economics, 39, 321–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ravnikar T. (2014). Geochemical sediment analyses – A case of the Fifth Triglav Lake in Julian Alps. M.Sc. Thesis, University of Nova Gorica.

  • Roth, B. M., Kaplan, I. C., Sass, G. G., Johnson, P. T., Marburg, A. E., Yannarell, A. C., Havlicek, T. D., Willis, T. V., Turner, M. G., & Carpenter, S. R. (2007). Linking terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems: the role of woody habitat in lake food webs. Ecological Modelling, 203, 439–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudolphi, W., & Haider, W. (2003). Visitor management and ecological integrity: one example of an integrated management approach using decision analysis. Journal for Nature Conservation, 11, 346–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simčič, T., & Brancelj, A. (2002). Intensity of mineralization processes in mountain lakes in NW Slovenia. Aquatic Ecology, 36, 345–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simeonova, P., Lovchinov, V., Dimitrov, D., & Radulov, I. (2010). Environmetric approaches for lake pollution assessment. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 164, 233–248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, V. H., Joye, S. B., & Howarth, R. W. (2006). Eutrophication of freshwater and marine ecosystems. Limnology and Oceanography, 51, 351–355.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stubelj, A. M., & Bohanec, M. (2010). Towards the ecotourism: a decision support model for the assessment of sustainability of mountain huts in the Alps. Journal of Environmental Management, 91, 2554–2564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swannack T.M., Fischenich J.C., Tazik D.J. (2012). Ecological modeling guide for ecosystem restoration and management. environmental benefits analysis program, ERDC/EL TR-12-18.

  • Villanueva, M. C. S., Isumbisho, M., Kaningini, B., Moreau, J., & Micha, J. C. (2008). Modelling trophic interactions in Lake Kivu. What roles do exotics play? Ecological Modelling, 212, 422–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vreča, P., & Muri, G. (2006). Changes in accumulation of organic matter and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in sediments of two Slovenian mountain lakes (Lake Ledvica and Lake Planina), induced by eutrophication changes. Limnology and Oceanography, 51, 781–790.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vreča, P., & Muri, G. (2010). Sediment organic matter in mountain lakes of north-western Slovenia and its stable isotopic signatures: records of natural and anthropogenic impacts. Hydrobiologia, 648, 35–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walter, M., Recknagel, F., Carpenter, C., & Bormans, M. (2001). Predicting eutrophication effects in the Burrinjuck Reservoir (Australia) by means of the deterministic model SALMO and the recurrent neural network model ANNA. Ecological Modelling, 146, 97–113.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Waters, I. C. P. (2003). The 15-year report: assessment and monitoring of surface waters in Europe and North America; acidification and recovery, dynamic modelling and heavy metals, ICP Waters report 73/2003. Norwegian: Institute for Water Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westmacott, S. (2001). Developing decision support systems for integrated coastal management in the tropics: is the ICM decision-making environment too complex for the development of a useable and useful DSS? Journal of Environmental Management, 62, 55–74.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, R., Wu, F., Liu, C., Fu, P., Li, W., Wang, L., Liao, H., & Guo, J. (2008). Characteristics of organic phosphorus fractions in different trophic sediments of lakes from the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River region and Southwestern Plateau, China. Environmental Pollution, 152, 366–372.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to Assist. Prof. Branko Čermelj, PhD, from the National Institute of Biology, Marine Biology Station Piran, for his help with the measurements of organic carbon and total nitrogen and to the colleagues from the Slovenian Environment Agency, Chemical Analytical Laboratory, for their assistance in performing analyses of forms of phosphorus.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Sciences, University of Nova Gorica, Vipavska 13, Nova Gorica, SI-5000, Slovenia

    Tina Ravnikar

  2. Department of Knowledge Technologies, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, Ljubljana, SI-1000, Slovenia

    Marko Bohanec

  3. School of Engineering and Management, University of Nova Gorica, Vipavska 13, Nova Gorica, SI-5000, Slovenia

    Marko Bohanec

  4. Slovenian Environment Agency, Vojkova 1b, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia

    Gregor Muri

Authors
  1. Tina Ravnikar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marko Bohanec
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gregor Muri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tina Ravnikar.

Appendix A: Decision rules

Appendix A: Decision rules

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ravnikar, T., Bohanec, M. & Muri, G. Monitoring and assessment of anthropogenic activities in mountain lakes: a case of the Fifth Triglav Lake in the Julian Alps. Environ Monit Assess 188, 253 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5234-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5234-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation