Assessment of the Hydrophysical and Hydrochemical Characteristics of Lake Burabay (Akmola Region, North Kazakhstan)

Abstract

This paper shows the results of a study on the morphometric, hydrophysical, and hydrochemical indicators of Lake Burabay, North Kazakhstan. The Burabay Protected Area, also known as Burabay National Park or Kokshetau National Park, is a protected natural area located in the north of Kazakhstan. It encompasses a diverse landscape characterized by lakes, forests, and unique rock formations. This analysis includes an eco-toxicological assessment of the hydrochemical composition of waters and benthal deposits by studying the content of metals. The degree of mineralization, ionic composition of water, hydrogen index, pollution index, and water quality class were also determined. Reductions in the area and depth of the lake were identified. The pollution index is 1.5–1.7, which belongs to class 3—moderately polluted. Relatively high concentrations of cadmium, nickel, copper, and arsenic were found in the lake sediments. Therefore, Lake Burabay and its surrounding ecosystem face certain environmental risks and potential water pollution. Although the increase in the number of tourists did not have a significant impact on the water pollution index in Lake Burabay, some of the common threats that impact the area are induced by touristic development, agricultural practices and industrial pollution. Significant efforts should be made to reduce these risks using the environmental indicators as a reference for control environmental quality.

The Impact of Climate Change on the Water Systems of the Yesil River Basin in Northern Kazakhstan

“…In Kazakhstan, recent studies have shed light on the tangible consequences of climate change and water scarcity [18][19][20][21]. However, investigations of this nature have been notably lacking in the northern regions of Kazakhstan [22][23][24]. Our study effectively bridges this research gap by focusing on Northern Kazakhstan, where inquiries regarding climate change and water scarcity have been conspicuously limited.…”

Assessment of Hydrometeorological Impacts of Climate Change on Water Bodies in Northern Kazakhstan

“…According to forecasts, due to the expected decrease in transboundary runoff, by 2030 there will be a further reduction in the republic's water resources to 87.1 km 3 , in dry years to less than 50.0 km 3 [20]. In works on the study of water resources in Northern Kazakhstan, the main focus is on the endorheic lakes of SNNP "Burabay" and the Yesil river system [24][25][26][27]. The geochemical, morphological and geochemical indicators of the remaining lakes and reservoirs have been studied very little.…”

Evaluation of Reservoir Inflows Using Semi-Distributed Hydrological Modeling Techniques: Application to the Esil and Moildy Rivers’ Catchments in Kazakhstan

“…Recently, important efforts are being undertaken to apply mathematical modeling techniques to describe the water management systems in Central Asia both in terms of water quality characteristics and resource availability [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] The main purpose of this work, being its main contribution, is to simulate the water inflow into the Astana reservoir using the HBV-light model for further use in river flow forecasting. The research described in this paper is a prior contribution about this topic, providing a better understanding of the patterns of spring flood formation in the rivers under study.…”