SEASONAL VARIATION OF THE PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL PARAMETERS ALONG DIVERSE SHALLOW LAKES FROM THE LOPATNA-MATITA-MERHEI INTERDISTRIBUTARY DEPRESSION, DANUBE DELTA, ROMANIA

Abstract

The Danube Delta is a wetland of global importance, providing several ecosystem services. The sustainable development (i.e., economic, social and environmental) in the area depends on the health, quality and quantity of the natural resources. Water is one of the most important resources. Largely, the Danube Delta, which receives the input of water and sediment flux from the Danube River, gathered form its entire basin, may experiences lower water quality due to natural and anthropogenic factors, from basin to local level. The physical-chemical parameters are a subsequent part of the environmental metrics (i.e., greenhouse gas emissions, energy-generation mix, water use, water pollution and waste generation). To understand water quality patterns, several physical-chemical parameters as depth (m), transparency(m), water temperature (oC), dissolved oxygen content (mg/L and saturation), pH (units), electrical conductivity (?S/cm), total dissolved solids (mg/L), turbidity (mg/L) and total suspended solids (mg/L) were surveyed at 77 sites along different shallow lakes belonging to the Lopatna-Matita-Merhei interdistributary depression, Danube Delta, Romania. The water samples were collected during May 2023, a period characterized by high water level of the Danube River. The obtained results within this study will contribute to baseline information necessary for short, -medium and long-term database for environmental studies, to ensure conservation of the unique Danube Delta's aquatic ecosystems.