Seasonal hydrochemical changes and spatial sedimentological variations in Lake Iznik (NW Turkey)

Abstract

Abstract The Marmara region is a key area to investigate the interconnection and environmental changes between the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean related to climate patterns. Lake Iznik is an oligohaline lake located in the southeast of the Marmara Sea. To decipher the long-term signals recorded in the sediment column requires better understanding of the processes in the modern lake environs. Seasonal limnological investigations were paired with geochemical and sedimentological analyses. Lake Iznik is an alkaline, warm monomictic lake. During warm seasons, a thermocline is established between 15 m and 20 m water depth. Anaerobic bottom water is mixed during spring. Surface water currents became visible during a whiting event in the summer, corresponding with spatial accumulation patterns found in geochemical proxies of the surface sediment.