LAKE KINNERET (SEA OF GALILEE)

A view from the lakeside hill


Photo: T. Berman  
 

A. LOCATION

• Israel.
• 32:50N, 35:35E; -209 m above sea level.

 

B. DESCRIPTION

Lake Kinneret (The Biblical Sea of Galilee) is a warm, monomictic lake, located at the northern end of the Afro.Syrian Rift Valley in Northern Israel with a surface area of 170 km2, a maximum depth of 43 m and a mean depth of 24 m. The climate is hot in summer, with winter rains from November through April and May. There is extensive agriculture in the catchment area especially in the Hula Valley (cotton, alfalfa, agricultural ponds) and around the lake shores (bananas, dates, cotton). Lake Kinneret serves as the major reservoir for Israel's National Water Carrier System and supplies approximately one third of the country's annual water requirements. It is also an important tourist and vacation area, famous for antiquities and historical sites especially those associated with the New Testament accounts of Jesus and his disciples. As in Biblical Times, there is a significant commercial fishery on the lake with annual yields of 1,500-2,500 tons.
Over the past twenty years, extensive limnological studies have been carried out on this lake, mainly at the Kinneret Limnological Laboratory which has recently set up an International Centre for Warm Freshwater Research (Q1).

 

C. PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS (Q1)

 

Surface area [km2]	170
Volume [km3]	4
Maximum depth [m]	43
Mean depth [m]	25.6
Length of shoreline [km]	53
Residence time [yr]	4.8
Catchment area [km2]	2,730

 

 

D. PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES

D1 GEOGRAPHICAL

• Bathymetric map:

  

  Fig. ASI-09-01.
• Number of outflowing rivers and channels (name): 1 (Jordan R.)(Q1).

D2 CLIMATIC

• Climatic data at Deganya, 1945-1970 (Q1, 2)

 

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Ann.
Mean temp. [deg C]	12	13	15	18	22	24	28	29	28	20	18	14	20
Precipitation [mm]	96	74	58	23	6	0	0	0	1	14	47	89	408

 

• Snowfall: None.
• Solar radiation: 1.7-24.3 MJ m-2 day-1.

Fig. ASI-09-01
Bathymetric map (1).

 

• Water temperature [deg C](Q3)

 

Station A, 1969-1983
Depth [m]	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
0*	15.7	14.7	16.0	19.4	23.2	26.7	27.9	28.6	28.4	26.3	22.3	18.0
5	15.7	14.7	15.4	18.7	22.6	25.9	27.4	28.3	28.2	26.2	22.3	18.0
10	15.7	14.7	15.0	17.7	21.5	24.7	27.1	28.1	28.1	26.2	22.3	18.0
15	15.7	14.6	14.7	16.7	19.2	21.5	24.6	26.5	27.3	26.0	22.3	18.0
20	15.7	14.6	14.5	15.9	17.4	17.4	17.7	18.6	20.3	21.8	20.8	17.6
25	15.6	14.5	14.4	15.4	16.4	16.1	16.1	16.3	16.8	17.1	17.7	17.5
30	15.4	14.5	14.3	15.0	15.7	15.4	15.4	15.8	16.1	16.1	15.9	16.2
35	15.4	14.5	14.3	14.8	15.4	15.1	15.2	15.5	15.9	15.9	15.6	15.8
40	15.4	14.5	14.3	14.2	15.3	15.0	15.1	15.5	15.9	15.8	15.5	15.5

* Surface.

• Freezing period: None.
• Mixing type: Monomictic.
• Notes on water mixing and thermocline formation

Strong stratification from May until middle to end November. Hypolimnion strongly observed.

Fig. ASI-09-02
Average monthly light extinction coefficient [m-1] measured with a Whiteney photometer without filters in relation to chlorophyll standing crop (Q1).

 

E. LAKE WATER QUALITY

E1 TRANSPARENCY: Fig. ASI-09-03.

Fig. ASI-09-03
Seasonal change in transparency, Station A (3).

E2 pH (Q1)

 

Station A, 1969-1986
Depth [m]	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
0-12	8.0	8.3	8.6	8.7	8.8	8.9	8.7	8.6	8.6	8.5	8.3	8.0
12-22	8.0	8.1	8.1	7.9	7.9	8.0	8.0	7.9	7.9	7.9	7.9	8.0
22-32	7.9	8.1	8.0	7.7	7.7	7.6	7.6	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.7	7.7
32-40	7.8	8.0	7.9	7.7	7.6	7.6	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.4	7.4	7.5

 

E3 SS [mg l-1](Q1)

Station A, 1967-1982
0-16 m: 620-669.
16-40 m: 650-702.
Mixed: 674.

E4 DO [mg l-1](Q3)

 

Station A, 1969-1986
Depth [m]	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
0-12	7.3	9.1	10.9	11.9	10.1	8.1	7.6	7.6	7.7	7.4	6.9	6.4
12-22	7.2	8.3	7.5	5.2	2.0	1.5	1.9	1.7	1.7	2.3	3.4	6.0
22-32	6.0	7.9	6.4	3.1	0.7	0.1	0	0	0	0	1.2	2.3
32-40	5.3	6.8	5.5	2.2	0.3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.1

 

E6 CHLOROPHYLL CONCENTRATION [micro g l-1](Q1)

 

Station A, 1986
Depth [m]	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
0	6.4	6.0	22.0	37.0	2.3	4.0	3.6	4.0	2.2	4.8	3.6	5.2
1	6.4	14.4	48.0	45.0	3.4	8.6	5.6	5.0	2.6	5.2	4.6	4.4
2	6.8	17.6	20.0	52.0	-	5.6	4.8	4.6	2.6	4.8	3.6	5.2
3	6.0	11.2	14.0	96.0	14.4	6.0	7.2	5.2	1.5	5.6	4.8	5.2
5	6.4	6.4	9.6	29.0	16.8	9.0	7.2	5.4	3.0	5.6	4.6	5.2
7	6.6	7.2	9.6	27.5	9.4	7.2	2.4	6.4	3.6	5.2	3.4	7.2
10	5.0	3.2	8.8	28.5	10.7	7.4	2.0	6.2	3.5	4.0	4.0	6.0
15/T* 7.2	2.4	12.0	3.8	7.4	3.4	4.0	4.1	3.3	4.8	1.6	5.0

* Thermocline.

E7 NITROGEN CONCENTRATION (Q1)

• Total-N [mg l-1]

 

Station A, 1969-1986
Depth [m]	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
0-12	0.811	0.862	0.948	0.869	0.836	0.739	0.636	0.609	0.576	0.563	0.630	0.787
12-22	0.803	0.873	0.874	0.812	0.702	0.665	0.689	0.674	0.711	0.729	0.832	0.847
22-32	0.877	0.841	0.896	0.833	0.750	0.744	0.837	0.931	1.005	1.075	1.086	1.210
32-40	1.139	0.935	0.562	0.768	0.724	0.842	0.966	1.060	1.344	1.533	1.803	1.735

 

E8 PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATION (Q1)

• Total-P [mg l-1]

 

Station A, 1969-1986
Depth [m]	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
0-12	0.811	0.862	0.948	0.869	0.836	0.739	0.636	0.609	0.576	0.563	0.630	0.787
12-22	0.803	0.873	0.874	0.812	0.702	0.665	0.689	0.674	0.711	0.729	0.832	0.847
22-32	0.877	0.841	0.896	0.833	0.750	0.744	0.837	0.931	1.005	1.075	1.086	1.210
32-40	1.139	0.935	0.562	0.768	0.724	0.842	0.966	1.060	1.344	1.533	1.803	1.735

 

E9 CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION (Q1)

Chlorine ion concentration in Lake Kinneret declined from 400 mg. l-1 to 210- 240 mg l-1 since 1967. This is mainly because there is a salt water diversion canal which removes ca. 70,000 tons of chlorides annually from the lake into the southern Jordan.

 

Fig. ASI-09-04
Annual change of chlorides concentration at station A, 1985-1986 (Q3).

 

F. BIOLOGICAL FEATURES

F1 FLORA

• Emerged macrophytes (Q1, 4)

Phragmites australis, Arundo donax, Juncus actus.
• Submerged macrophytes: Myriophyllum spicatum, Najas marina (Q1).
• Phytoplankton (3)

Peridinium cinctum, Coelastrum spp., Closterium aciculare var. subpronum, Cyclotella spp., Microcystis spp., Oocystis spp., Cosmarium.

F2 FAUNA

• Zooplankton (3)

Mesocyclops leuckarti, Cyclops agills, Diaphanosoma brachyurum, Asplanchna brightwelli, A. Priodonta, Ceriodaphnia reticulata.
• Benthos (5)

Nannopus falustris, N. palustris tiberiadis, Pseudobradya barroisi, Nitocra incerta, Typhlocaris galilea, Unio semirgatus, Melanopsis praemorsum, Theodoxus jordani.
• Fish (3)

Mirogrex terraesanctae, Mugil cephalus, Sarotherodon galilaeus, S. aureus, Barbus longiceps.

F3 PRIMARY PRODUCTION: Fig. ASI-09-05.

Fig. ASI-09-05
Past trend of primary productivity, annual and seasonal averages (Q1).

F4 BIOMASS: Fig. ASI-09-06 and 07.

Fig. ASI-09-06
Past trend of phytoplankton biomass, in terms of annual and seasonal averages of chlorophyll standing crop (Q3).

 

Fig. ASI-09-07
Annual averages of zooplankton biomass (wet wt)(Q).

F5 FISHERY PRODUCT (Q1)

• Annual fish catch [metric tons]

1968-1980: 1,800.

F7 NOTES ON THE REMARKABLE CHANGES OF BIOTA IN THE LAKE IN RECENT YEARS

During the years 1973-1978, there was a period of lowered Peridinium biomass and some increases of nannoplankton (mostly Chlorophyta). Also there has been some tendency to an increase in Cyanobacteria in the fall. These changes may be related to the lower lake level at the end of a dry summer-autumn season (till November).
Since the construction of the salt water diversion canal (19671 and the heavy flooding in winter 1968/1969, there has been a distinct trend to lower salinity in the lake from 380 mg l-1 to 215 mg l-1. Comparing the period 1969-73 with 1974-82, there was a trend to higher levels of organic nitrogen and total phosphorus, a decrease in the proportion of large algae (mainly Peridinium) to nannoplankton, and a decrease in the overall amount and individual size of zooplankton. This appears to have been accompanied by an increase in the number of fishes (mainly Kinneret sardines) which feed on zooplankton.
With the completion of hydrological projects in the watershed aimed at optimizing recycling and agricultural use of water, there should be a dramatic improvement in the quality of water reaching the lake via the Jordan River. Also new fish stocking practices have been advocated which should lead to a better balance of commercially valuable fish (eg. St. Peter's fish, Sarotherodon galilaeus) to the less desirable "sardine" (Mirogrex terraesanctae). The research team at the Kinneret Limnological Laboratory is presently formulating a five year plan to assess the impact of changes wrought about by the new management policies.

 

G. SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

G1 LAND USE IN THE CATCHMENT AREA (Q2)

 

1982
	Area [km2]	[%]
Natural landscape
Woody vegetation	100	3.7
Herbaceous vegetation	1,460	53.4
Others	70	2.6
Agricultural land
Crop field	1,050	38.5
Residential area	50	1.8
Total	2,730	100.0

 

• Main types of woody vegetation

Low trees (Quercus, Pistacia, Prunus, Ruta); water trees (Salix).
• Main types of herbaceous vegetation

Low and high grassland with scattered low bushes; high water bushes (Nerium, Vitex, Myrtus).
• Main kinds of crops

Irrigated field crops (cotton, vegetables, forage grass, wheat, citrus, avocado, apple and pear)(184 km2), and non-irrigated field crops (150 km2).
• Levels of fertilizer application on crop fields: Heavy.
• Trends of change in land use in recent years

Decrease in area of fish ponds by about 50% in northern catchment area. Increase in reservoirs for water storage and recycling. Completion of new pipeline from Dam River for irrigation of W. Hula Valley. All these measures should decrease pollution pressures on Lake Kinneret.

G2 INDUSTRIES IN THE CATCHMENT AREA AND THE LAKE (Q2)

• Number of persons engaged (1981): Agriculture 5,000; fisheries 300.
• Main agricultural products: Cotton, vegetables and fruits.
• Main industrial products

Optics, electronics, metallurgy, textile and plastics.
• Tertiary industry: Tourism and recreation facilities.

G3 POPULATION IN THE CATCHMENT AREA (Q2)

 

1983
	Population	Population density [km-2]	Major cities (population)
Total	255,000	93.4	Tiberias (24,000), Kiryat Shemona, Zefat.

 

 

H. LAKE UTILIZATION

H1 LAKE UTILlZATlON (Q2)

Fisheries, navigation, tourism and recreation (swimming, sport-fishing, yachting).

H2 THE LAKE AS WATER RESOURCE (Q2)

 

1981
	Use rate [m3 sec-1]
Domestic &
industrial	6.3
Irrigation	9.5

 

 

I. DETERIORATION OF LAKE ENVIRONMENTS AND HAZARDS

I1 ENHANCED SILTATION (Q3)

• Extent of damage: Not serious.

I2 TOXIC CONTAMINATION (Q3)

• Present status: Detected but not serious.
• Supplementary notes

In order to assess the potential input of toxic chemicals into Lake Kinneret, routine analyses of the Kinneret ecosystem have been carried out over the past 6 years. Such compounds (usually agricultural chemicals such as pesticides) were extracted and analysed subsequently by gas chromatography. In general, lake water contained little if any pesticide residues, therefore further studies were carried out on samples from the Upper Galilee, close to the sites of application of these chemicals. Initial studies showed that pollution of the waterways entering the lake was mainly due to accidental spraying and/or the washing of spray containers. These sources of pollution have now been largely reduced due, partially, to increased awareness of this problem through our monitoring programme. Accidental (and deliberate) poisonings of fish continue to be one of the major problems in this field, although suspected cases have also dropped over in recent years. In general, Kinneret St. Peter's fish (Sarotherodon galileum) has been largely effected by these chemicals (usually the pesticides Endosulphan or Lindane). The combined use of more and more sophisticated agricultural chemicals (and various combinations of them) has caused increasing concern in our laboratory. Our programme will therefore become of increasing importance in the near future.

I3 EUTROPHICATION

• Nuisance caused by eutrophication

Occasional problems in National Carrier System because of the increase of nannoplanktonic algae (e.g. Cyclotella); e. g. disturbed filtration in cleaning bed, foul smell of tap water and difficulties in use of water for irrigation.
• Nitrogen and phosphorus loadings to the lake (Q1)

1985 Annual (Oct.-Sep.) River Jordan yield and nutrient input [tons] from the northern Lake Kinneret watershed, 1968-1984.

 

Year	Jor-yield [mill. m3]	Total N	Organic N	Ammonia	Nitrate	Dissolved p Total p
1968/69	1,096 3,480	632	54	2,738	27	186
1969/70	574	1,257	356	31	748	9	71
1970/71	650	1,837	573	35	1,205	4	195
1971/72	491	1,171	411	41	708	7	75
1972/73	270	700	237	26	426	7	58
1973/74	480	2,118	447	61	1,580	12	105
1974/75	387	1,138	575	32	524	9	121
1975/76	478	1,293	683	43	659	12	176
1976/77	557	1,528	667	59	799	14	126
1977/78	575	1,512	639	63	806	17	239
1978/79	276	676	265	45	365	9	61
1979/80	569	2,240	683	94	1,464	22	164
1980/81	633	3,148	478	119	2,280	29	175
1981/82	380	911	258	27	626	15	83
1982/83	558	2,375	362	106	1,906	27	122
1983/84	463	1,024	243	97	684	14	114
Average	527	1,651	486	58	1,098	15	129
(S.D.)	(189) (829)	(183)	(30)	(713)	(8)	(54)

 

I4 ACIDIFICATION

• Extent of damage: None.

 

J. WASTEWATER TREATMENTS

J1 GENERATION OF POLLUTANTS IN THE CATCHMENT AREA (Q3)

d) Measurable pollution with limited wastewater treatment. There is a concerted effort to minimize pollutant loads. A major contributor to this is the work of the Kinneret Authority which is responsible for monitoring and regulating development in the region.

J2 APPROXIMATE PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF POLLUTANT LOADS (Q3)

 

	[%]
Non-point sources	90
(agricultural, natural and
dispersed settlements)
Point sources	0
Rural settlements	10
Total	100

 

J3 SANITARY FACILITIES AND SEWERAGES (Q3)

• Percentage of municipal population in the catchment area provided with

adequate sanitary facilities (on-site treatment system) or public sewerage: 100.
• Percentage of rural population with adequate sanitary facilities (on-site

treatment systems): 90.
• Municipal wastewater treatment systems

No. of tertiary treatment systems: 1. No. of secondary treatment systems: 5, oxidation ponds. No. of primary treatment systems: 5.

 

K. IMPROVEMENT WORKS IN THE LAKE (Q1, Q2)

K1 RESTORATION

Construction of reservoirs for sewage storage, sewage treatment plants, agricultural management, and lake management (fisheries, water level, recreation, etc.).

K3 OTHERS

DIVERSION: Sewage diversion and salty water diversion systems. A salt water diversion (removing high salinity water from sources to the north-west of the lake) was built in the mid 1960's. This also comes treated sewage and diverts it into the South Jordan; a similar sewage diversion was recently built on the southeast shore.

Development of public beaches, research of lake and watershed as basis for management recommendations. Much effort has been placed in improving the quality of water entering the lake from the Northern Jordan River. Agro- technical methods in the cultivated land of the watershed are aimed at lowering sediment and nutrient inputs.

 

L. DEVELOPMENT PLANS (Q3)

1. Possible construction of large pump-storage facility for generation of peak hour electricity.
2. Depending on political developments-changes in pumping regimen and addition of winter floods from Yormuk River shoring of water sources with Jordan.
3. Continued management strategy of low autumn and early winter lake levels to maximize reservoir.

 

M. LEGISLATIVE AND INSTITUTIONAL MEASURES FOR UPGRADING LAKE ENVIRONMENTS

M1 NATIONAL AND LOCAL LAWS CONCERNED (Q2)

• Names of the laws (the year of legislation)
1. Water Law (1959)
• Responsible authorities
1. Water Commissioner, Agricultural Ministry, Kinneret Authority and Local Municipalities
• Main items of control
1. Water quality (management of watershed and lake)

M2 INSTITUTIONAL MEASURES (Q3)

1. Kinneret Authority (established in 1972 by the Water Commissioner)
2. The Yogal Alon Kinneret Limnological Laboratory of the Israel Oceanograghic and Limnological Research Ltd. (Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, established in 1968)
3. Mekorot Water Company (Watershed Monitoring Team, since 1964)

M3 RESEARCH INSTITUTES ENGAGED IN THE LAKE ENVIRONMENT STUDIES (Q3)

1. The Yogal Alon Kinneret Limnological Laboratory of the Israel Oceanograghic and Limnological Research Ltd.* * This laboratory is mandated by law to be the centre for Kinneret research. The laboratory coordinates lake studies carried out by scientists at many other institutions.

• Supplementary notes

In 1987, International Centre for Warm Freshwater Research will be established at the Kinneret Laboratory.

 

N. SOURCES OF DATA

17. Questionnaire filled by Dr. T. Berman, Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, Israel.
17. Questionnaire filled by Dr. M. Gophen, Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, Israel.
17. Questionnaire filled by Dr. D. Wayne, Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, Israel.
1. Serruya, C., Edelstein, M., Pollingher, U. & Serruya, S. (1974) Lake Kinneret sediments; nutrient composition of the gore water and mud water exchanges. Limnol. Oceanogr.,19(3): 489-508.
2. Stanhill, G. & Neuman, J. (1978) The general meteorological background. "Lake Kinneret" (ed. Serruya, C.), pp. 49-58. Dr. W. Junk Publishers, The Hague-Boston-London.
3. Berman, T (ed.)(1973) Lake Kinneret Data Record. Israel National Council for Research and Development.
4. Serruya, C. (1978) General background. "Lake Kinneret" (ed. Serruya, C.), pp. 123-146. Dr. W. Junk Publishers, The Hague-Boston-London.
5. --- & Pollingher, U. (1983) Lakes of the Warm Belt. 569 pp. Cambridge University Press, London.