The Change in the Water Chemistry of the Rivers of Montenegro over a 10-Year Period

Abstract

In this chapter, we provide an overview of changes in the chemical parameters most commonly used in water quality assessment within the framework of the National Surface Water Monitoring Programme of Montenegro. We chose the parameters (water temperature, pH, electroconductivity, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, alkalinity, water hardness, and quantities of ammonium, chlorides, sulphates, phosphates and nitrates) which were monitored over a 10-year period from 2009 to 2018. We briefly review the main results of the monitoring of the water quality of the watercourses in Montenegro in the investigated period. The quality index results revealed an increase in water quality since 2012. The results of our study show significant differences between the Adriatic and Black Sea basins in terms of linear trends and interannual variability, notably in the frequency of occurrence of anomalous and extreme values of the investigated chemical parameters over a 10-year period.