Effects of Weir Construction on Phytoplankton Assemblages and Water Quality in a Large River System

Hae-Jin Lee, Hae-Kyung Park and Se-Uk Cheon
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Hae-Jin Lee: Nakdong River Environment Research Center, National Institute of Environmental Research, Goryeong 40103, Korea
Hae-Kyung Park: Nakdong River Environment Research Center, National Institute of Environmental Research, Goryeong 40103, Korea
Se-Uk Cheon: Geum River Environment Research Center, National Institute of Environmental Research, Okcheon 29027, Korea

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: Flow regulation is one of the most common anthropogenic factors affecting rivers worldwide. In Korea, 16 weirs were constructed along four major rivers from 2009 to 2012. This study aimed to elucidate initial changes in physical, chemical, and biological variables after the construction of consecutive weirs on the Nakdong River, a major large river system. Water quality variables and phytoplankton cell densities were investigated at eight representative sites and compared with the data recorded before the weir construction. There were spatial and temporal changes in the hydraulic retention time (HRT), total phosphorus (TP), and chlorophyll a concentrations among the eight weir sections. HRT increased after the weir construction, while TP and chlorophyll a tended to decrease from the middle to lower section of the Nakdong River. Furthermore, differences were observed in the phytoplankton community composition between 2006–2007 and 2013. There was a marginal decrease in the duration of centric diatom ( Stephanodiscus hantzschii ) blooms after weir construction. However, Microcystis aeruginosa proliferated more extensively during summer and autumn than it did before the weir construction. Our results suggest that changes in hydrological factors, in response to consecutive weir construction, may contribute to greater physical, chemical, and ecological variability.

Keywords: weir construction; Microcystis; Stephanodiscus; total phosphorus; water environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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