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Trophic status of Tilitso, a high altitude Himalayan lake

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Abstract

The trophic status and water quality of Lake Tilitso (4920 m above sea level) in a high altitude region in central Nepal were surveyed in September, 1984. The lake is rather large with a maximum depth of 95 m and a surface area of 10.2 km2. The lake water was turbid due to glacier silt and the euphotic layer was only 5 m deep. The nutrient concentration was very low with total phosphorus concentration 1–6 µg l−1, and DTN concentration 0.10–0.22 mg l−1. The phytoplankton biomass and chlorophyll-a concentration were also low. Primary production was estimated to be about 12 mg C m−2 d−1. The concentrations of particulate matter and most cations and bacterial number were higher in the epilimnion than in the hypolimnion. The trophic status of this lake was estimated as ultraoligotrophic.

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Aizaki, M., Terashima, A., Nakahara, H. et al. Trophic status of Tilitso, a high altitude Himalayan lake. Hydrobiologia 153, 217–224 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00007208

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00007208

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