%0 Journal Article %A Kharchenko, T. A. %A Bashmakova, I. Kh. %D 2001 %I Begell House %N 4 %P 15 %R 10.1615/HydrobJ.v37.i4.70 %T Retrospective Analysis of Water Quality in the Lower Reaches of the Danube %U https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/38cb2223012b73f2,53e8a12127c92c01,7087dcaa48640e9a.html %V 37 %X The comparative data analysis shows that a number of important characteristics determining water quality have undergone the substantial changes in the Ukrainian part of the Danube during the second half of the 20th century. Thus, water turbidity reduced by the factors of 1.5-2 of its former values, the index of general mineralization have increased 1.5 times, the content of organic matter in water has risen by 35-40%. As a consequence of water clarifying, the photosynthetic processes in plankton activated, and the numbers of algae and biomass are now 2-3 times and 3-7 times as great, respectively, as in the 1950s. On the background of the total twofold diminishing of bacterial numbers, the numbers of saprophytes augmented 6 times. %8 2001-08-01