Post-mining lakes

LTER site
Post-mining lakes
Major ecosystems
Lakes
Available data since
2005
Site coordinator
Jiří Peterka | jiri.peterka@hbu.cas.cz
Institution
Biologické centrum AV ČR, v. v. i. | www.bc.cas.cz
Area
1 055 ha
Max. depth
Medard 50, Milada 25, Most 75 m
Avg. depth
Medard 24, Milada 15, Most 22 m
Altitude
Medard 400, Milada 145, Most 199 m a.s.l.
Latitude
50°11' - 50°39' N
Longitude
12°36' - 13°57' E
Annual precipitation
950 - 1200 mm
Temperature (air)
9,5 - 10,8 °C
Other site category
Owned by Diamo, s.p., Sokolovská uhelná, a.s.
Characteristics

Large-scale opencast mining of brown coal represents a significant and devastating intervention in the natural environment. As a close to nature and economically acceptable method of reclamation of residual mine pits, the hydric method of reclamation is used, when lakes are created from quarries. The creation of a new lake in a former mining area essentially represents a large-scale ecological experiment, during which a number of specific factors are involved with impacts on individual organisms, multiple trophic levels and interactions, even entire food chains, and ultimately the lake water quality.

Post-mining lakes (Medard – 500 ha, Milada – 245 ha, Most – 310 ha) thus represent unique LTER areas for studying ecological processes in large natural lentic ecosystems. The lakes are studied since 2005 and ongoing research is focused mainly on (i) the structuring effect of submerged macrophytes on trophic relationships and distribution of fish in deep lakes, (ii) the effects of intra- and interspecific interactions on the succession of fish communities, and (iii) the effects of anthropogenic use and long-term changes on water quality, composition, periphyton composition and phytoplankton structure and biomass.


 

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