Shkoder (lake)

It is assumed that the lake was formed by the dissolution of limestone in the tectonic basin in the Tertiary or Quaternary period ^[5] . Previously, the lake was a bay of the Adriatic Sea , but now it is separated from it by an alluvial isthmus.

The total coastal length is 168 km: 110.5 km in Montenegro and 57.5 km in Albania ^[4] . To the west and south-west of the lake are the mountains of the Dinaric Highlands , from the marshy northern shores stretches the plain on which stands the main city of Montenegro Podgorica . In the northeastern part of the lake is the long Khotit Bay, to which the foothills of the Prokletiye massif approach. The eastern shores of the lake are gentle and also swampy.

The sleeves of the Morachi delta create many islands; Vranina and Odrinsk rise higher than the others. The islands of Lesendro, Grmozur, Starchevo, Beshka, Morachnik, Topkhala, Goritsa-Gyat, Gradac and a number of smaller ones are located along the southern (Montenegrin) coast. There are no islands along the Albanian coast.

The lake is located in cryptodepression - some parts of its bottom are below sea level. Such places are called underwater keys or “eyes”, and there are about 30 of them on the lake. The maximum depth of the lake is more than 60 meters (“eye” Radus), the average - 6 m ^{[4] [6]} .

The lake has a catchment area of ​​5490 km² ^[4] . 6 rivers flow into the lake, the largest of which, Moraca and Tsrnoevich, flow into the lake from the west, forming a swampy delta. The runoff from the lake to the Adriatic Sea is through the Buna River, which is about 41 km long, which flows from a lake in Albania near the city of Shkodra , and the border between Albania and Montenegro runs along its lower course.

The shores of the lake are mostly swampy. Water fluctuations in the lake reach 5 m ^[4] ; during the rise of the level, when part of the water from the Drin River falls into the lake, the low northeastern shores flood ^[7] .

The Moraca River and its tributary Zeta account for 62% of the flow into the lake. About 30% come from underground sources called “eyes” ^[4] . Moracha carries a large amount of sediment into the lake, affecting the transparency of the water in the lake, the average value of which is about 8 m ^[5] .

The lake water is completely renewed from 2 to 2.5 times a year. The volume of water is 1.93 km³. runoff from the lake through the Buna River is 320 m³ / s; after its confluence with the Drin branch, the flow into the Adriatic Sea reaches 682 m³ / s ^[4] .

The climate in the area of ​​the lake is Mediterranean , with mild and rainy winters. The average January temperature is 7.3 ° C. Summer is dry and hot, air heats above 40 ° C, water - above 27 ° C. The average annual temperature is 14.9 ° C. ^[four]

Number of hours of sunshine per year: 2533 ^[5] .

Surface macrophytes : lake reeds, southern reeds and narrow-leaved cattail . Floating macrophytes: white water lily , yellow capsule and chilli . Attached macrophytes: urut , hornwort and pest . Phytoplankton : Cyclotella glomerata , Cyclotella Planctonia , Pediastrum , Ceratium hirundinella , Microcystis , Merismopedia , Dinobryon divergens and Dinobryon bavaricum ^[5] .

Zooplankton : rotifers , cladocerans , copepods , and also protists . Benthos : mosquito bells , small-worm worms , bivalves , gastropods ^[5] .

The lake is rich in fish and waterfowl . Common are bleak , carp , stocks , freshwater eels , noble salmon , roach , shrimp , pachychilones , mullet and rudd ^[5] .

Birds are represented by no less than 26 species, especially small and large cormorant . In winter, more than 200 thousand birds live on the lake.

Conservation Areas

On the Montenegrin side, in 1983 a national park with an area of ​​40 thousand hectares was organized ^[6] . In accordance with the Ramsar Convention, on December 25, 1995, the lake was included in the list of wetlands of international importance. Ornithological reserves: Manastyrska-Tapia, Grmozur, Crny-Zar, Panceva Oka, Manastyrski-Vrbis. Ichthyological reserves: underground keys and Muritsa beach.

In Albania, on November 2, 2005, a nature reserve was established on the lake with a total area of ​​23,027 ha: 7,799 ha of forests and shrubs, 346 ha of swamps, 496 ha of coastal dunes, 253 ha of salt marshes, and 14,134 ha of agricultural and urban sites ^[4] .

On the southeastern edge of the lake is the Albanian city of Shkodra , a little to the north - the city of Koplik . On the shore of the western part of the lake is the village of Virpazar (Montenegro). The lake is shipping. The main occupations of the population: intensive fishing, agriculture, hunting and tourism ^[8] .

In the northwestern (Montenegrin) part of the lake, a dam with two bridges was built along which the highway and the Bar - Belgrade railway pass. The road and railway between Montenegro and Albania are adjacent to the shore of Khotish Bay. Along the coast and on small islands along the southwest coast, ancient fortresses and Orthodox monasteries have been preserved.

On the islands of Starchevo, Beshka and Morachnik in the late XIV - early XV centuries. the Balshich dynasty built several churches with tombs. The oldest monastery is located on Starchevo (1376–1378), on Beshka there is a tomb for Georgy Balshich and his wife, built at the end of the 14th century. On the northern side of the island of Vranjina in the Morachi delta is an architectural complex built during the reign of Chernoevich (second half of the 15th century). On the slope of Mount Odrinsk (also in the delta), the Kom monastery, which was built in 1415-1427, is still operating ^[6] .

Since 1983, the Montenegrin part of the lake has been a National Park. ^[9]