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Abstract: Karavasta is the widest and most important lagoon in Albania. This study aimed to assess the ecological quality status of the lagoon, acquire knowledge of a natural environment which might be exploited for aquaculture, and give management hints on the basis of anthropogenic impact and ecological conditions. A sampling campaign was carried out in 2008: at six stations, benthic fauna, water, and sediment parameters were considered. Statistical analyses were carried out through multivariate procedures (PCA, classification-clustering, SIMPER, RDA, DISTLM, PERMANOVA). Ecological quality was assessed through the AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), the multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI) and the Benthic Index based on Taxonomic Sufficiency (BITS). Sediment characteristics (percent organic matter, %OM; redox potential discontinuity layer depth, RPDL; particle size composition) and salinity represented contributory influences on lagoon communities. It was possible to distinguish and characterise a confined area, and benthic communities, from a marine-influenced area and its biota. The number of species was quite low when compared with other open Adriatic lagoons. The M-AMBI and BITS classifications gave quite similar results, which seemed consistent with the ecological conditions of the lagoon, that is a distinction in the ecological quality between the seaward and landward stations, with higher ecological quality (EcoQ) at the seaward stations. Given the pressures and the ecological condition of Karavasta, an intensification of aquaculture activities must be considered with caution, since the lagoon seems at significant risk of serious hypereutrophication. This situation is made worse by the limited water exchange with the marine environment due to the irregular dredging of the communication channels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The geomorphology of three major river deltas in Albania (Shkumbini, Semani and Vjose) was studied using Landsat multi-spectral imagery. Palaeohydrological studies using meander geometric properties concluded that all rivers decreased their discharges in the first half of the present century due to land reclamation and creation of irrigation networks. The comparison between paleohydrological assessments and recent measurements at gauging stations confirmed that simple formulae overestimate mean water discharge. The deltas of the three rivers have a rapidly changing morphology, so that the traditional tripartite delta classification has a limited applicability. A comparison between the sediment yields of these rivers with worldwide examples points out that they are extremely active hydrological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]