Basic Limnological Survey of Twenty-One Northern and Central Mongolian Lakes

Abstract

This survey report presents basin morphology, water quality, and sedimentological data from twenty-one Mongolian lakes, and is meant to be used as a resource for future geological and biological investigations. The lakes are organized in three separate groups based on geographic location, and the survey results from each lake are described in detail. A short discussion of local and regional factors infl uencing solute concentrations and pH levels of the lakes’ waters is presented. The lakes present at latitudes lower than N 50°00’ (i.e. central and north/central lakes) are distributed across an area of approximately 150,000 km 2 and vary considerably with respect to their water quality characteristics. Regional precipitation patterns as a function of geographic location and/or catchment specifi c processes are indentifi ed as the driving mechanisms for variations in solute concentrations and pH levels in these lakes. The surveyed lakes present at latitudes higher than N50°00’ (i.e. northern lakes) are distributed across a smaller area (approximately 180 km 2 ) and have relatively little variation in water quality characteristics. These lakes straddle the local taiga/alpine tundra transition zone, and elevation (i.e. valley placement) is identifi ed as the driving mechanism for inter-lake variations in solute concentrations and pH levels.

Keywords

• limnology
• lake
• water quality
• survey