Tzortziou Maria, Zeri Christina, Dimitriou Elias, Ding Yan, Jaffé Rudolf, Anagnostou Emmanouil, Pitta Elli, Mentzafou Angeliki
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences The City College of New York City University of New York New York New York.
Institute of Oceanography Hellenic Center for Marine Research Anavyssos Greece.
Limnol Oceanogr. 2015 Jul;60(4):1222-1240. doi: 10.1002/lno.10092. Epub 2015 Apr 20.
Most transboundary rivers and their wetlands are subject to considerable anthropogenic pressures associated with multiple and often conflicting uses. In the Eastern Mediterranean such systems are also particularly vulnerable to climate change, posing additional challenges for integrated water resources management. Comprehensive measurements of the optical signature of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) were combined with measurements of river discharges and water physicochemical and biogeochemical properties, to assess carbon dynamics, water quality, and anthropogenic influences in a major transboundary system of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Evros (or, Марица or, Meriç) river and its protected coastal wetland. Measurements were performed over three years, in seasons characterized by different hydrologic conditions and along transects extending more than 70 km from the freshwater end-member to two kilometers offshore in the Aegean Sea. Changes in precipitation, anthropogenic dissolved organic matter (DOM) inputs from the polluted Ergene tributary, and the irregular operation of a dam were key factors driving water quality, salinity regimes, and biogeochemical properties in the Evros delta and coastal waters. Marsh outwelling affected coastal carbon quality, but the influence of wetlands was often masked by anthropogenic DOM contributions. A distinctive five-peak CDOM fluorescence signature was characteristic of upstream anthropogenic inputs and clearly tracked the influence of freshwater discharges on water quality. Monitoring of this CDOM fluorescence footprint could have direct applications to programs focusing on water quality and environmental assessment in this and other transboundary rivers where management of water resources remains largely ineffective.
大多数跨境河流及其湿地都承受着与多种且往往相互冲突的用途相关的巨大人为压力。在东地中海地区，这类水系尤其容易受到气候变化的影响，给水资源综合管理带来了额外挑战。对有色溶解有机物（CDOM）的光学特征进行全面测量，并结合河流流量、水的物理化学和生物地球化学性质的测量，以评估东地中海一个主要跨境水系——埃夫罗斯河（又称马里察河或梅里奇河）及其受保护的沿海湿地中的碳动态、水质和人为影响。测量工作持续了三年，涵盖了具有不同水文条件的季节，并沿着从淡水源头延伸至爱琴海中离岸两公里处、长度超过70公里的断面进行。降水变化、受污染的埃杰内河支流输入的人为溶解有机物（DOM）以及一座大坝的不定期运行，是驱动埃夫罗斯河三角洲和沿海水域水质、盐度状况及生物地球化学性质变化的关键因素。沼泽向外流出的物质影响了沿海碳质量，但湿地的影响常常被人为输入的DOM所掩盖。一种独特的五峰CDOM荧光特征是上游人为输入的特征，并且清晰地追踪了淡水排放对水质的影响。对这种CDOM荧光足迹的监测可直接应用于专注于该跨境河流及其他水资源管理大多无效的跨境河流的水质和环境评估项目。
