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Drought-induced changes in nutrient concentrations and retention in two shallow Mediterranean lakes subjected to different degrees of management

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Abstract

While extensive knowledge exists on the relationship between nutrient loading and nutrient concentrations in lakes in the cold temperate region, few studies have been conducted in warm lakes, not least in warm arid lakes. This is unfortunate as a larger proportion of the world’s lakes will be situated in arid climates in the future due to climate change and a larger proportion will suffer from a higher frequency of intensive drought. We conducted a comprehensive 11–13 year mass balance study in two interconnected shallow Mediterranean lakes in Turkey, covering a period with substantial changes in climate conditions. The upstream lake was only affected by natural changes in nutrient loading, while the downstream lake was additionally influenced by sewage diversion and restoration by fish removal. Contrasting to experience from north temperate lakes we found an increase in in-lake concentrations of total phosphorus and inorganic nitrogen (ammonia as well as nitrate) in dry years despite lower external nutrient loading, and submerged macrophytes did not increase the nitrogen retention capacity of the lakes. In contrast, fish removal modulated the nitrogen concentration as in north temperate lakes, but the effect was not long-lasting. Our results suggest that climate warming reduces the nutrient retention capacity of shallow lakes in the Mediterranean and exacerbates eutrophication. Lower thresholds of nutrient loading for shifting turbid shallow lakes to a clear water state are therefore to be expected in arid zones in a future warmer climate, with important management implications.

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Acknowledgements

This study and AÖ were supported by a Middle East Technical University, BAP research grant, and the METU-DPT ÖYP programme of Turkey (BAP-08-11-DPT-2002-K120510), the EU projects EUROLIMPACS (www.eurolimpacs.ucl.ac.uk) and WISER (www.wiser.eu), by CLEAR (A Villum Kann Rasmussen Centre of Excellence project), The Research Council for Nature and Universe, Denmark (272-08-0406) and TUBITAK, BIDEB. We thank Anne Mette Poulsen for editorial assistance and Juana Jacobsen for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Limnology Laboratory, Biology Department, Middle East Technical University, 06531, Ankara, Turkey

    Arda Özen, Burcu Karapınar & Meryem Beklioglu

  2. General Directorate of Electrical Power, Resource Survey and Development Administration, 06520, Ankara, Turkey

    İsmail Kucuk

  3. Department of Freshwater Ecology, National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark

    Erik Jeppesen

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  1. Arda Özen
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  2. Burcu Karapınar
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  4. Erik Jeppesen
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  5. Meryem Beklioglu
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Correspondence to Erik Jeppesen or Meryem Beklioglu.

Additional information

Guest editors: M. Meerhoff, M. Beklioglu, R. Burks, F. García-Rodríguez, N. Mazzeo & B. Moss / Structure and Function of World Shallow Lakes: Proceedings from the 6th Shallow Lakes Congress, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, 23–28 November, 2008

The study was initiated by MB. BK and IK did the hydrological and BK and AÖ the chemistry and biological part of the work; AÖ, EJ and BK conducted the mass balance and AÖ, BK, IK and MB wrote the first MS draft, which was subsequently revised by EJ in cooperation with MB.

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Özen, A., Karapınar, B., Kucuk, İ. et al. Drought-induced changes in nutrient concentrations and retention in two shallow Mediterranean lakes subjected to different degrees of management. Hydrobiologia 646, 61–72 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0179-x

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