IT10-A Ecosistemi lacustri della Sardegna

The Parent Site IT10-Lake ecosystems of Sardinia - Italy consists of six artificial lakes. It has been part of the LTER-Italy since its foundation. The site has been always managed by the University of Sassari, in close collaboration with the Regional Water Authority for lakes in Sardinia (ENAS - Ente Acque della Sardegna). The lakes are located in the north-central part of the Island being Lake Bidighinzu (IT10-001-A), Lake Cedrino (IT10-002-A), Lake Cuga (IT10-003-A), Lake Monte Lerno (IT10-004-A), Lake Sos Canales (IT10-005-A), Lake Temo (IT10-006-A). They have been studied for over thirty years. Since 2006, a Real Time Remote Monitoring System has been operating in each lake. The project aims to provide a tool to optimize the management of the water resource, giving the chance to choose the water layer along the vertical profile from which withdraw the water with the relative best quality for potabilization. Data on water temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll a are acquired by a probe. These data are compared and combined with those obtained in laboratory using standard analysis methods. Long-term series of ecological data are available for each lake, with high-frequency measurements and samplings regarding some of the more important environmental and biological variables. Regarding the LTER Sardinian artificial lakes, their major environmental issue is eutrophication and the related massive growth of phytoplankton. Phytoplankton blooms extensively in summer, largely composed by potentially toxic Cyanobacteria.