Goran Barović

The Physical and Geographical Characteristics of the Lake Skadar Basin

Lake Skadar/Shkodra is the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula, located in the Western Balkans with approximately 65% of its surface belonging to Montenegro and around 35% to Albania. The lake consists of two parts which correspond to the two circulation systems within the lake: the smaller part, Vucko blato, in the northwest and the larger, main part of the lake called Velje blato to the southeast – these two parts are connected by a narrow opening (of about 50 m in width) at the south end of the causeway at Vranjina.

CARTOGRAPHICAL METHOD IN DIGITAL MODELLING OF HYDROGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE EXAMPLE OF THE UPPER ZETABASIN

There have been two major milestones in cartography: first was the invention of printing machines which brought to an end the need for manual work on mapmaking, and second was the invention of modern computers that opened up developments yet undreamed of. With the computerisation of cartography, there was a steep increase in the development and progressof cartography. This led to the establishment of a new sub-discipline in cartography: digital cartography. Previously used techniques in mapmaking required: a time-consuming processof workmanship, a large number of highly specialised experts, and large and expensive equipment. The science of cartography defined procedures that have to be followed in order to transition from an idea to a map. Those procedures include various methods and means of presentation that we can use, together or alone, to reproduce a geographical space or one of its segments. A special place in the mapmaking process is reserved for the cartographical method, which defines three scientific categories that can be identified as the spatial, temporal and essential definition of the problem in question. Through these three segments, we can scientifically analyse and come to conclusions aboutthe problem being investigated and mapped.The presentation of cartographical papers through digital cartography hasgained a new dimension. Besides presenting the basic cartographical properties, by using digital modelling, we can produce 2D and 3D models. By using various display options, one can make many different models and have the possibility to analyse thecause-and-effect relationships available on a given model. The River Zeta is a watercourse in the Adriatic basin and it features many hydrological phenomena. It is the largest subterranean river in Montenegro, and in the wider area of its basin there are many karst phenomena. Some of those are the GornjePoljeWhirlpool, one of the largest estavelles in the Dinarides and Vido’sStream, an intermittent spring, also a very rare phenomenon in karst geology. The Upper Zeta basin is also known to have been modified by construction of a hydrological system in the second half of the last century, for the needs of PerućicaHydroelectric Power Plant. What makes this hydrological system so special is its location in a karst field, which is a rarity considering our knowledge of water redistribution through karst.