Nutrient inputs, trophic status and water management challenges in the transboundary Lake Skadar/Shkodra, western Balkans

Abstract

A transboundary water quality-monitoring program was conducted in 2007-2009 to investigate the trophic status and nutrient budget of Lake Skadar/Shkodra, which is a large, shallow lake shared by Albania and Montenegro. The parameters included, amongst others, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), suspended particulate matter, chlorophyll a, phytoplankton, transparency, temperature and oxygen levels. In addition, hydrological data were scrutinized. The results show that inputs from the tributaries amounted to 176 tons of TP and 3 200 tons of TN, with annual area specific loads of 50-70 kg/km2 of TP and 950-1100 kg/km2 of TN. Despite relatively high inputs, data from the lake indicate that it is presently in a mesotrophic condition, probably due to its large volume and low water residence time. It is assumed that water bodies in the Western Balkans are under increased environmental pressure due to the economic and societal development in the region. In our study, interactions with stakeholders revealed that this also applies to Lake Skadar/Shkodra, but at the same time, the stakeholders suggested a number of mitigation options that can improve the situation. In addition, harmonized transboundary monitoring and increased data transparency were deemed important to improve future decision-making.

Phytoplankton of Šasko Lake and the First Record of Invasive Toxin-Producing Cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis Raciborskii (Woloszynska) Seenayya Et Subba Raju, 1972 in Montenegro

“…This species is not recorded at all in the neighboring Skadar Lake for instance, although it is also shallow lowland lake under same climate conditions. Having in mind that C. raciborskii is sensitive to flushing, the absence of this species in Skadar Lake might be explained with the short water residence time (about 100 days, Scarbøvic et al, 2014), while the Šasko Lake represents almost the closed system during the summer, being completely separated from Bojana River. Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii was reported to be tropical in origin (Padisak, 1997), but currently it is distributed throughout most of Europe (Borics et al 2000;Saker et al 2003;Fastner et al 2003;Briand et al 2004;Manti et al 2005;Stuken et al 2006;Moustaka-Gouni et al 2009) and reported in all continents except Antarctic, so it can be considered as cosmopolitan.…”

Spatial Variation of Tetracycline-Resistant E. coli and Relationships with Water Quality Variables in Irrigation Water: A Pilot Study

“…Of common importance across the correlation and cTREE analysis were the concentrations of NO 3 and FDOM (Figure 4). Dissolved organic and inorganic nutrients have commonly shown positive associations with fecal bacteria concentrations in ponds [43,[46][47][48] and lakes [49][50][51]. Two possible reasons for this include the simple availability of nutrients used for growth and persistence [52][53][54] and the cooccurrence of nutrients with precipitation events which can transport nutrients to waterways along with fecal bacteria [51,55,56].…”

Effect of organic amendments on nitrate leaching mitigation in a sandy loam soil of Shkodra district, Albania

“…It covers a surface from approximately 370 to 600 km 2 and has a volume from approximately 1.7 to 4 km 3 , depending on the seasonal fluctuations between dry and wet periods. It is approximately 5 m above sea level and mean depth is about 5 m, but can be as much as 60 m in isolated sublacustrine groundwater springs (Skarbøvik et al, 2014). Because of the wide range of endemic, rare or endangered plant and animal species it gives shelter, Lake Shkodra and its extensive associated wetlands are listed as one of 24 transboundary wetland sites of International value (EEA 1995), and are internationally recognised as a site of significance and importance according to the Ramsar Convention (1995).…”