Neusiedlersee : the limnology of a shallow lake in central Europe

H. Laffler Interest aroused in the past by Neusiedlersee, located in what was earlier the western part of Hungary, was mainly due to the enormous fluctuations in water level and the consequent threat to the livelihood of the local popula­ tion, who lived chiefly from stock-farming. Practically no tourism touched the area until 1920, about a century later than Schubert's visit to the Salzkam­ mergut lake district, the traditional resort area in Upper Austria. Probably because of its small popularity there is almost no documentation in the form of engravings or paintings. One of the exceptions is an oil painting by Schnorr-Carolsfeld, from about 1820. It is obvious that there was no Phragmites at the time he painted the view near Neusiedl. When the shallow Neusiedlersee was discovered by tourists it began to attract scientific interest, although some earlier work by mineralogists, geographers and hydrographers does exist. But it was only after the Second World War that this interest could be intensified, the lake now being an alkaline, turbid body of water confined by the vast areas of Phragmites which had come into existence after the lake last dried out in 1868. Scientific work gained considerable impetus from international activities such as the Interna­ tional Biological Programme, International Hydrological Decade, and Man and Biosphere, the results of which will be included in this volume. But in spite of all such efforts Neusiedlersee will undoubtedly remain, in many respects, a mystery. Front Matter....Pages i-x Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The catchment area, a geographical review....Pages 3-19 The hydrogeology of Neusiedlersee and its catchment area....Pages 21-32 Origin and geohistorical evolution....Pages 33-41 Morphology and morphometry....Pages 43-46 Climatic conditions....Pages 47-64 Evaporation....Pages 65-77 Water balance....Pages 79-84 Currents....Pages 85-88 The hydrochemical problem....Pages 89-99 Phosphorus and nitrogen....Pages 101-120 Oxygen conditions....Pages 121-130 Sediments....Pages 131-138 The superficial sediments: their characterization and distribution....Pages 139-143 Electron microscopic investigations of the mud sediments....Pages 145-149 Optical properties, colour and turbidity....Pages 151-167 Front Matter....Pages 169-169 The algal vegetation of Neusiedlersee....Pages 171-202 Seasonal pattern of phytoplankton....Pages 203-231 Phytoplankton primary production....Pages 233-234 Submerged macrophytes in the open lake. Distribution pattern, production and long term changes....Pages 235-250 The primary producers of the Phragmites belt, their energy utilization and water balance....Pages 251-272 Front Matter....Pages 169-169 Production of Utricularia vulgaris L.....Pages 273-279 The zooplankton of the open lake....Pages 281-335 The benthic community of the open lake....Pages 337-384 Limnocythere inopinata (Baird) (Cytheridae, Ostracoda): its distribution pattern and relation to the superficial sediments of Neusiedlersee....Pages 385-388 Arthropod communities connected with Phragmites ....Pages 389-397 The crustacean fauna of the Phragmites belt (Neusiedlersee)....Pages 399-410 The Rotifers of Neusiedlersee....Pages 411-421 Fishes and fishery in Neusiedlersee....Pages 423-438 Birds of Neusiedlersee....Pages 439-474 Projects involving Neusiedlersee....Pages 475-481 Back Matter....Pages 483-543