Sulfur Cycle in the Water Column of Lake Sevan

Project time period:

September – October 2019

 

Project Description:

Lake Sevan is the largest waterbody of Caucasus area and has immense cultural, historical, ecological, and industrial importance for Armenia. It is severely impacted by anthropogenic stressors such as level-decrease, overfishing and over-nutrition and subsequent eutrophication. The proposed research is aimed at the study of sulfur cycling in the water column of Lake Sevan during its thermal stratification to assess the impact of eutrophication on sulfur cycle.

Expected Outcomes

Combining analytical environmental chemistry and molecular microbial ecology methods, the project is expected to model the biogeochemical sulfur cycle in Lake Sevan under normal and eutrophication conditions.

The fundamental scientific merit of the proposed project is to identify the physical and chemical controls of biogeochemical processes leading to oxygen depletion and sulfur cycling in the Lake Sevan and thereby predict the environmental impact of severe eutrophication on ecology of the lake in future.

The information gained in the proposed study can be used as a platform for environmental decision-making for the management of Lake Sevan.

Natella Mirzoyan, PhD, Principal Investigator
AUA Acopian Center for the Environment

Vardan Hayrapetyan, Research Fellow
AUA Acopian Center for the Environment

Combining analytical environmental chemistry and molecular microbial ecology methods, the project is expected to model the biogeochemical sulfur cycle in Lake Sevan under normal and eutrophication conditions.

Project Sponsor: FAST Travel Grant for Collaborative Research

Project Partners: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel & AUA Acopian Center for the Environment