Abstract
The process of eutrophication in form of intense plant growth has been observed in some lakes and water streams at the Plitvice Lakes National Park in central Croatia. Here we investigate whether this phenomenon is a consequence of anthropogenic pollution or due to naturally produced organic matter in the lakes. We applied chemical analysis of water at two springs and four lakes (nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), trace elements) and measurements of surface lake sediments (mineral and organic fraction analyses, trace elements) in four different lakes/five sites. The chemical composition of water does not indicate recent anthropogenic pollution of water because the concentrations of most trace elements are below detection limits. The concentrations of DOC and nutrients are slightly higher in the area of increased eutrophication-plant growth. Also the content of organic matter in the sediment is at the highest level in areas with highest C/N ratio indicating that the organic fraction of this sediment is mainly of terrestrial origin. There is no significant difference among the trace element concentration in the upper segment of all cores, deposited approximately during last 50 years when higher anthropogenic influence is expected due to development and touristic activity, and the lower part of the cores, corresponding to the period approximately 100–200 years before present. The content of trace elements and organic matter in sediments decreases from the uppermost lake downstream. According to our results there is no indication of recent anthropogenic pollution in water and sediment. Higher concentrations of DOC in water as well as phosphorus and some other elements in the lake sediment can be a consequence of input of natural organic matter to the lake water.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Adriano, D. C. (2001). Trace element in the terrestrial environment (p. 680). Berlin Heidelberg New York: Springer.
Belzile, N., Chen, Y.-W., Gunn, J. M., & Dixit, S. S. (2004). Sediment trace metal profiles in lakes of Killarney Park, Canada: From regional to continental influence. Environmental Pollution, 130, 239–248.
Bilali, L. E., Rasmussen, P. E., Hall, G. E. M., & Fortin, D. (2002). Role of sediment composition in trace metal distribution in lake sediments. Applied Geochemistry, 17, 1171–1181.
Chafetz, H., Srdoč, D., & Horvatinčić, N. (1994). Early diagenesis of Plitvice Lakes waterfall and barrier travertine deposits. Geographie Physique et Quaternaire, 48, 245–255.
Dodds, W. K., Jones, J. R., & Welch, E. B. (1998). Suggested classification of stream trophic state: Distributions of temperate stream types by chlorophyll, total nitrogen and phosphorus. Water Research, 32(5), 1455–1462.
Gäbler, H. E., & Suckow, A. (2003). Chronology of anthropogenic heavy-metal fluxes and Pb isotope ratios derived from radiometrically dated lake sediments in northern Germany. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 144, 243–262.
Horvatinčić, N., Krajcar Bronić, I., & Obelić, B. (2003). Differences in the 14C age, δ 13C and δ 13O of Holocene tufa and speleothem in the Dinaric karst. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 193, 139–157.
Horvatinčić, N., Srdoč, D., Šilar, J., & Tvrdiková, H. (1989) Comparison of the 14C activity of groundwater and recent tufa from karst areas in Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. Radiocarbon, 31, 884–892.
Obelić, B., Horvatinčić, N., Barešić, J., Briansó, J. L., Babinka S., & Suckow, A. (2005). Anthropogenic pollution in karst lake sediments (Croatia). In M. Özkul, S. Yagiz & B. Jones (Eds.), Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Travertine (pp. 188–196). Turkey: Denizli, September 2005.
Plenković-Moraj, A., Horvatinčić, N., & Primc-Habdija, B. (2002). Periphyton and its role in tufa deposition in karstic waters (Plitvice Lakes, Croatia). Biologia (Bratislava), 57, 423–432.
Ruban, V., Brigault, S., Demare, D., & Philippe, A.-M. (1999). An investigation of the origin and mobility of phosphorus in freshwater sediments from Bort-Las-Orgues Reservoir, France. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 1, 403–407.
Srdoč, D., Horvatinčić, N., Ahel, M., Giger, W., Schaffner, C., Krajcar Bronić, I., Petriciolo, D., Pezdič, J., Marčenko, E., & Plenković, A. (1992). Anthropogenic influence on the 14C activity of recent lake sediment: A case study. Radiocarbon, 34, 585–592.
Srdoč, D., Horvatinčić, N., Obelić, B., Krajcar, I., & Sliepčević, A. (1985a). Procesi taložzenja kalcita u krškim vodama s posebnim osvrtom na Plitvička jezera (Calcite deposition processes in karstwaters with special emphasis on the Plitvice Lakes, Yugoslavia). Carsus Iugoslaviae (Krš Jugoslavije), 11(4–6), 101–204 (in Croatian with English Abstract).
Srdoč, D., Obelić, B., Horvatinčić, N., Culiberg, M., Šercelj, A., & Sliepčević, A. (1985b). Radiocarbon dating and pollen analyses of two peat bogs in the Plitvice National Park area. Acta Botanica Croatica, 44, 41–46.
Srdoč, D., Obelić, B., Horvatinčić, N., Krajcar Bronić, I., Marčenko, E., Merkt, S., Wong, H. & Sliepčević, A. (1986). Radiocarbon dating of lake sediments from two karstic lakes in Yugoslavia. Radiocarbon, 28, 495–502.
Talbot, M. R., & Laerdal, T. (2000). The late Pleistocene-Holocene paleolimnology of Lake Victoria, East Africa, based upon elemental and isotopic analyses of sedimentary organic matter. Journal of Paleolimnology, 23, 141–164.
Vreča, P., & Muri, G. (2006). Changes in accumulation of organic matter and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in sediments of two Slovenian mountain lakes (Lake Ledvica and Lake Planina). Limnology and Oceanography, 51(2), 781–790.
Walpersdorf, E., Neuman, T., & Stuben, D. (2004). Efficiency of natural calcite precipitation compared to Lake Marl application used for water quality improvement in an eutrophic lake. Applied Geochemistry, 19, 1687–1698.
Yang, H., & Rose, N. (2005). Trace element pollution in some UK lake sediments, their history, influence factors and regional differences. Environment International, 31, 63–75.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Springer Science + Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Horvatinčić, N., Briansó, J.L., Obelić, B., Barešić, J., Bronić, I.K. (2006). Study of Pollution of the Plitvice Lakes by Water and Sediment Analyses. In: Kronvang, B., Faganeli, J., Ogrinc, N. (eds) The Interactions Between Sediments and Water. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5478-5_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5478-5_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-5477-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-5478-5
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)