Turlough

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Skealoughan Turlough, County Mayo in winter
Skealoughan Turlough, County Mayo in summer
Carran Turlough, County Clare
Fardrum Turlough in County Fermanagh

Turloughs (from Irish turlach ) are also called “winter lakes” and are temporary karst lakes in the west of Ireland , especially in the Burren in County Clare , which are protected by the Habitats Directive due to their uniqueness and their specific communities . Turloughs are also found in the limestone districts of Cavan (Shannon Pot), Galway (Glenamaddy Turlough, Rahasane Turlough), Mayo and Roscommon counties . There are only four turloughs in Northern Ireland, including the three from Green, Fardrum and Roosky in County Fermanagh . Together with the Ramsar area, they form an Area of ​​Special Scientific Interest (ASSI).

description

In winter, when the water table rises, or after heavy rainfall , the apparently dry depressions become lakes. Instead of the permanent, underground water level, there is now a temporarily visible water level. The white, paper-like substance seen when the turlough is dry is made up of algae . Traces of black moss can also be seen in Turloughs, especially around Carran , where erratic boulders from the glaciers in the Turlough are located. The white paper algae on the stone surface are visible from afar. Due to drainage measures that began in the 19th century, the number of these short-lived but regularly recurring biotopes has already decreased by at least a third.

"Temporary karst lakes" are rare in Germany. The few occurrences are on the southern edge of the Harz (in Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia) and in the Limestone Alps .

fauna

The habitat type includes karst lakes and water-filled sinkholes . Their water level, which is dependent on the karst water, fluctuates greatly. Specialized animals such as the gillworts Tanymastix lacunae or Branchipus stagnalis are adapted to the special conditions with temporary dehydration and can survive temporary dehydration with permanent eggs.

flora

This constant change has resulted , for example, in the creeping buttercup ( Ranunculus repens ) with special adaptations of its leaves to these locations known only from Ireland. This plant has a far more intensive photosynthetic capacity under water than the underwater organs of other plants. Typical plant species of the Turlough are also meadowfoam ( Cardamine pratensis ), water mint ( Mentha aquatica ) and brown sedges ( Carex nigra )

literature

  • on geology : Coxon, C. and Coxon, P. (2005) Site 2.4. Turloughs in south-east Mayo: Quaternary deposits and palaeohydrological implications. In Coxon, P. (ed.), The Quaternary of Central Western Ireland: Field Guide , Quaternary Research Association, London. pp. 101-111.
  • on Northern Ireland : JG Kelly, I. Enlander, AM Kelly, T. Fogg: The geological setting, hydrology and ecology of Roosky Turlough, Ely, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland 2003

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