STUDY ON THE MECHANISM OF SALIFICATION AND THE LONG-TERM BEHAVIORS OF SALINOCLINE IN LAKE ABASHIRI

Abstract

In recent years, Lake Abashiri which is connected to abashiri river has confronted with serious problems concerning about water quality and environment caused by salifications of the lake. Present authors carried out field observations in brackish lake and the tidal river of abashiri, in order to make clear the actual conditions and the mechanism of the salification of the lake. We found that the lake has been salified since 1925, and the interface between the salt and fresh water has been gradually rising for these 60 years because of the decreasing inclination of annual precipitation.