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Ecobiological assessment of a freshwater lake at Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica, with reference to human activities

DRS at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography

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Title Ecobiological assessment of a freshwater lake at Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica, with reference to human activities
 
Creator Ingole, B.S.
Dhargalkar, V.K.
 
Subject freshwater lakes
freshwater ecology
man-induced effects
air temperature
water temperature
ph
dissolved oxygen
hydrobiology
biological production
 
Description The scale and magnitude of probable impact of human activities over a decade (1983-1994) on the freshwater lake Priyadarshini, at Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica, was assessed through an ecological study conducted over an annual cycle during January 1993 to January 1994. Air temperature ranged from -34.5 degrees C to +8.2 degrees C, water temperature (below frozen layer) from -1.5 degrees to +4.7 degrees C, and pH from 8.10 to 8.77. Dissolved oxygen varied from 8.4 to 12.1 mg l sup(-1) with higher values during winter months (June-July). The biological parameters - phytoplankton, chlorophyll-a and microbenthos - showed a bi-modal pattern of fluctuations with one maxima in austral summer and another in spring (late winter). Fluctuations in the hydrobiological parameters were closely related to meteorological conditions over the area. Biological productivity of the lake was dependent on the availability of ice-free water and increase in atmospheric temperature. An in-depth analysis and comparison of certain lake environmental aspects over a decadal period indicate that the lake environment is in a healthy condition. However, intensive human activities in the catchment area may deteriorate the ecosystem and hence regular monitoring and stringent regulations are needed to maintain its quality.
 
Date 2009-01-11T11:51:26Z
2009-01-11T11:51:26Z
1998
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Current Science, Vol.74; 529-534p.
http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/1888
 
Language en
 
Rights Copyright [1998]. All efforts have been made to respect the copyright to the best of our knowledge. Inadvertent omissions, if brought to our notice, stand for correction and withdrawal of document from this repository.
 
Publisher Current Science Association