Spatiotemporal environmental monitoring of the karst-related Almyros Wetland (Heraklion, Crete, Greece, Eastern Mediterranean)

Abstract

AbstractWetlands are of great importance for providing the appropriate conditions for the diversity of species and inhabitants living in these ecosystems and for a wide range of public goods and services (fresh water, air filtering, recreational and tourism opportunities). However, despite their importance, wetlands are continuously degraded due to various human activities at an alarming rate worldwide. In the context of this study and considering the rational management of wetlands and the inevitable impact of climate change, a wetland, spatiotemporal monitoring system is proposed, implemented in the karst wetland of Almyros Stream (Heraklion, Crete, Greece). The implementation of this system is based on robust techniques from the allied fields of chemistry, earth and ecology assisted by GIS techniques. Our results indicate that this Mediterranean karst wetland of great ecological importance is under pressure because of pollution, climate change and land change. This argument is supported by (a) the high concentrations of water photosynthetic pigments and nutrients at certain times of the year, both provided by chemical analysis and partially verified by geophysical monitoring (spectral induced polarization) and (b) the high values of soil magnetic susceptibility at sites close to human infrastructures that is an indicator of heavy metals concentrations.