• News
  • Lake Facts
  • About

Lake Scientist

Across the Pond: Lake Ohrid is Europe’s Oldest

1
  • by Daniel Kelly
  • — February 13, 2014
lake-ohrid

Lake Ohrid. (Credit: Ellen Schurova via Wikimedia Commons)

With more than one million years under its belt, Lake Ohrid is Europe’s oldest. As one of the world’s few ancient lakes, it’s on a short list of water bodies like Lake Baikal and Lake Tanganyika.

Some sources say there are eight ancient lakes in the world (others put the number at 20) – normally formed by some tectonic anomaly (Lake Ohrid was formed by a geotectonic depression) that fortifies them against sediment filling.

A long life-span and isolation have helped these lakes support species that can only be found in their waters. For this reason, they’re often called “hot spots” of evolution. Lake Ohrid is no different.

Ohridospongia-rotunda-ohrid-sponge

Ohrid sponge (Ochridaspongia rotunda), endemic to Lake Ohrid. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons User Raso mk)

In Ohrid’s depths alone, there are twenty species of algae, two plant species, five species of zooplankton and ten species of fish. But its bottom fauna are the most diverse, making up 176 of the species native to the lake. So prevalent are these native lifeforms that exotic species don’t seem to be a major issue for Lake Ohrid.

Why do native species dominate? It has to do with Ohrid’s water. As an oligotrophic lake, it’s low in plant nutrients and high in dissolved oxygen levels. The endemic species have been around long enough to adapt.

Salmo-letnica-ohrid-trout

Ohrid trout (Salmo letnica). (Credit: Wikimedia Commons User Nikistrat)

Like other large lakes, including some of North America’s Great Lakes, waves near Lake Ohrid’s shore swirl in a counter-clockwise direction. This is in the same manner as breaking ocean waves.

There are many things that threaten the ancient water body, like tourist operations nearshore that have destroyed reed belts and increased pollution close to the lake. Commercial overfishing has taken too much of the native trout species, which has led to fishing bans.

Share

You may also like...

  • Five Ancient Lakes at Least a Million Years Old
  • crescent lake Across the Pond: Crescent Lake is a Desert Oasis
  • Space Rock Created Sweden’s Hummeln Lake
  • lake ladoga In Northwest Russia, Lake Ladoga is Europe’s Largest

1 Comment

  1. keli says:
    September 16, 2014 at 7:47 PM

    you need more names of the species but very helpful

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

BUY AT FONDRIEST.COM
New NexSens XB200 Data Buoy
  • Recent Posts

    • Long-Term Monitoring in the Chautauqua Lake WatershedJune 18, 2025
    • No Red Herrings: Data Driving the Largest Salt Marsh Restoration in the NE USAJune 16, 2025
    • Storm surge from Hurricane Irene in Greenwich, Connecticut.Research Brief: Evaluating a Novel Storm Surge Prediction Model on Lake OntarioJune 16, 2025
    • Carbon and Nutrient Monitoring in the Great Lakes Using Satellite ObservationsJune 11, 2025
    • Craig Hill places the Spotter Buoy into Lake Superior near Park Point Beach in Duluth, MN.Research Brief: Evaluating Wave Energy Availability in the Great Lakes and Blue Economy Opportunities June 9, 2025
  • Popular Tags

    Great Lakes research summary research research brief pollution Lake Erie Algae invasive species Product Spotlight lake research climate change lake science runoff nutrient-loading Lake Michigan dissolved oxygen international temperature Ohio eutrophication EPA toxic waters ice phosphorus algal blooms

©2025 Fondriest Environmental Inc. | Questions? Call 888.426.2151 or email customercare@fondriest.com