Lake Research

Austrian lakes are utilized in diverse ways for a long time thus altering water quality and fish species communities. Periodical surveys of the lake water quality, investigations of the fish communities and the assessment of the impact on lakes due to climate change are the main activities of the department of lake research.

In 2010, the Department of Hydrology (project management) started an extended long-term study (10 years) in cooperation with the Austrian Federal Forests (Lake Hallstatt and Lake Millstatt) and later also with the Province of Upper Austria (Lake Mondsee), the Province of Salzburg (Lake Obertrumer See) and the Consortium Zeller-Irrsee (Lake Irrsee) focusing on climate change.

The survey of the water quality of lakes is one of the long-lasting activities at the institute. Since 1968 water samples of lakes (surface area >1km²) of the Upper Austrian and Styrian “Salzkammergut” as well as of the “Flachgau” (eastern part of Salzburg, until 1980) have been taken continuously, mainly with own resources.

In the course of the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive at the natural Austrian lakes > 50 ha, standardized investigation methods were developed by the Department of Hydrology for the quality element fish.