The Greek Center for Habitats and Wetlands (EKBY) of Goulandris Museum of Natural History (of the National Museum of Natural History under Law 5106/2024) studied the changes in the water quality of Lake Karla caused by storm Daniel after the flood event of September 2023, through sampling and through satellite images.

Field measurements were made and water samples were collected during the period before the flood (as part of the national water monitoring network), after the flood and one year after the flood. In situ measurements and sampling were done for physicochemical parameters and chlorophyll a (as a phytoplankton parameter). Indices were used and evaluated to estimate chlorophyll-a and total suspended solids using high-resolution Sentinel-2 satellite imagery.

The results showed that the flood changed the nutrient dynamics within the lake. Based on the data so far, the lake ecosystem appears to have the ability to recover from the flood’s disturbance to the previous ecological state, as shown by nutrient and chlorophyll a measurements and by the application of satellite markers.

However, Carla was in a deficient ecological state before the flood due to the pressures exerted and the small volume of water, so the lake appears to be maintaining its previous low levelwhile the objective of the Water Framework Directive is good ecological status.

Exploratory monitoring should be continued in order to examine whether the condition of the lake is maintained in the medium and long term and to ensure a better picture of the effects of the flood. As the frequency and intensity of such extreme events increase due to climate change, more research is needed in the future to understand their effects in detail.

The paper was published here.