Impact of Stratification on Nutrient Concentration in Manasbal Lake, Kashmir

The valley of Kashmir has a number of water bodies spread over its length and breadth. While most of them are very shallow and hence do not show any permanent stratification phenomenon, some have been reported to stratify. Lake Manasbal (34o14’40’’– 34o15’20’’N and 74o39’00’’– 74o41’20’’E and 1583 m amsl) has been reported to be the only warm monomictic lake in the valley (Hutchinson, 1957). The water body has been found to stratify during March – November/December and circulate for the brief period of December – February. The lake has been an important tourist spot, besides being a source of commercial fishing, and a number of economically important plants. Keeping in view, the economic and ecological importance of the lake, it was decided to have an insight into the process of thermal stratification in this water body and assess the impact of the thermal stratification on the nutrient distribution in it. The data collected during the year- long study are presented in the form of the present M.Phil. dissertation