0000000000876451
AUTHOR
Elga Parele
DISTRIBUTION OF PONTO-CASPIAN AMPHIPODPONTOGAMMARUS ROBUSTOIDESIN LATVIAN WATERS
Data of the monitoring of inland waters, conducted during 1999–2005, show that the alien Ponto-Caspian amphipod Pontogammarus robustoides is quite widespread in Latvia. The species was detected at 15 monitoring sites. This non-indigenous amphipod occurs in the lower reaches and mouths of rivers emptying into the Baltic Sea, water reservoirs located on the Daugava River, and nearshore lakes which are connected to the brackish waters of the sea. The spread of P. robustoides in the lower reaches of the Daugava River and its water reservoirs must have originated from the intentional introduction of this amphipod into the Keguma Water Reservoir in the 1960s. Meanwhile, the invasion of this amphi…
Heavy metals in rivers of Latvia☆
Abstract Total heavy metal concentrations in waters and sediments (HNO 3 digestible Pb, Cu, Co, Ni, Mn, Zn) and their speciation forms in sediments (exchangeable, carbonate bound, iron–manganese oxide bound, organic matter bound and residual) in major and common small watercourses (31 sampling stations) along their flow in Latvia were determined. The metal loads entering the Baltic Sea from Latvia were calculated. Increased metal concentrations were found only in lower reaches of the largest rivers and locally around known industrial pollution sources. Differences in metal concentrations and loads in rivers from different regions of Latvia were related to natural geochemical processes. Meta…
Water quality in cutaway peatland lakes in Seda mire, Latvia
Remediation of industrially-milled peatland is an important task in the sustainable management of natural resources. Several approaches for wetland restoration, depending on local climatic and hydrological conditions, topography, physico-chemical properties of peat, as well as peat mining techniques, have been developed worldwide. However, most of the restoration activities include regulation of hydrological regime and surface topography in order to reintroduce typical bog vegetation, especially, Sphagnum cover, and to restore the peatland’s ecosystem close to its original conditions (Gorham and Rochefort, 2003; Farrell and Doyle, 2003; Lamers et al., 2002). In many countries, a significant…
Metal accumulation in sediments and benthic invertebrates in lakes of Latvia
The concentrations of cadmium, lead, nickel and copper in waters, sediments (total metal concentrations and their speciation forms) and benthic macroinvertebrates in 11 lakes of Latvia were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Metal concentrations in lake waters, sediments and biota were compared with water chemistry. Compared to total concentrations, metal speciation forms in sediments were better correlated with respective metal concentrations in invertebrates. Therefore, the evaluation of potential metal bioaccumulation should consider metal speciation. The mean concentrations of trace metals in benthic invertebrates in Latvia were much lower than in other countries, which ca…