Phytoplankton Study in Pomorie Lake, Black Sea (Bulgaria)

Coastal wetlands, such as Pomorie Lake, are among the most dynamic and complex ecosystems in the world and their environmental safety requires special preservation. The aim of the present paper is to study the phytoplankton composition in Pomorie Lake, a protected area in Bulgaria. The development of a total of 49 phytoplankton species distributed in 8 classes was recorded and 6 phytoplankton species were recorded in „bloom” concentrations. The most abundant species were from class Dinophyceae (17 species, 34.69%) and class Bacillariophyceae (9 species, 18.37%). The research found a decrease in the proportion of diatoms (Bacillariophyceae class) and an increase in the number of green and euglena algae. This pilot study contributes to the current characterization of the ecological status of Pomorie Lake. According to the established phytoplankton biomass and part of the ecological assessment criteria for “mesotrophic” lake types the ecological status of Pomorie Lake in 2017 is between “moderate” - "good".