Limnological Investigations in Lakes of the Pokhara Valley, Nepal

Abstract

Abstract Four subtropical mountain lakes in western Nepal were investigated for their plankton content and hydrographical conditions. Phytoplankton species composition, vertical distribution and seasonal variations were studied, and physical (temperature, visibility, electrical conductivity) and chemical (pH‐value, alkalinity) properties of the lakes measured. The lakes rank among the subtropical monomictic type with thermal stratification and have a very low electrical conductivity. The phytoplankton (made up of diatom‐desmid and dinoflagellate associations) comprised a mixture of species from tropical, Indo‐Malayan and temperate regions; species from temperate regions, however, predominated.