The document summarizes a presentation given by Rajashree Naik of Central University of Rajasthan on the role of inland saline wetland ecosystems in the face of climate change. Naik discusses the importance of inland saline wetlands and some of the threats they face. She presents a case study of a saline wetland ecosystem in India, analyzing changes in salinity levels, land use and land cover, bird populations, temperature and rainfall over time. Naik concludes that inland saline wetlands are as important as freshwater wetlands but are threatened, and restoration efforts are needed to conserve these ecosystems.

1. Role of inland saline wetland ecosystems in the
face of climate change
Rajashree Naik
Central University of Rajasthan

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7. Our Presenters Today:
Role of inland saline wetland ecosystems in the
face of climate change
Rajashree Naik
Central University of Rajasthan

9. Introduction
• Ramsar definition “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or
artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh,
brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low
tide does not exceed six meters”.
• Five major wetland types are generally recognized:
• marine (coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral
reefs);
• estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps);
• lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes);
• riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams); and
• palustrine (meaning “marshy” - marshes, swamps and bogs).

10. Inland Water bodies
Majority of inland waters are lakes and
others are rivers, streams, ponds etc.
(Wetzel, 2001).
Lakes constitutes of water body coupled
with its drainage area, lotic water
components and terrestrial counter parts.
 These are mostly shallow (Wetzel,
2001).
These are primarily inland fresh or saline
water.
By area

11. Saline Lakes
By volume
By area
Saline lakes are located mostly in arid
They are endorheic basins.
The Caspian Sea is largest saline lake (accounting
for 41% of global saline lake volume).
Inland saline lakes are characterized by the
presence of 3 g/liter salts (Wetzel, 2001).
As of no direct use for agriculture, domestic or
industrial activities, these are least fascinating
Saline lakes are on the verge of extinction.
Wurtsburg et al, 2017

12. Global Saline lakes
https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_journals/2017/rmrs_2017_wurtsbaugh_w001.pdf

13. Role of saline lakes

14. Vertical Gradients
 These are rich in cations like
Na+, Mg + +, K+ and Ca+ + and
HCO3-, SO4
-, CO3- and Cl- as
major anions.
 Have phosphorous, nitrogen,
iron with other minor elements
for halophiles and halophytes
but are not prime contributor of
salinity.
 They might also has
radioactive element like
radium.

15. Trophic Structure

16. Major threats

18. Study area details

19. Study area map
(a)
(b) (c)

20. Minor & Major threats

21. Data used

22. Results: Salinity index

23. Land Use Land Cover dynamics

24. Bird census-2019

25. Field visit locations

26. Rainfall

27. Temperature

28. Major threats field photographs
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
(e) (f)

29. Interdependence
ECOLOGY
ECONOMY

30. Conclusions
 Saline wetlands are equally important as fresh water wetlands
 Inland saline wetlands are at the verge of extinction
 Geo-spatial modelling helped to revisit past Land Use Land Cover classes,
predict their future, identify indicators and, their inter-relationship with other
biotic-abiotic components.
 In the forth coming UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), this
case study will help for all saline wetlands and ramsar sites restoration;
identifying wetlandscape indicators, deteriorating biotic-abiotic components
and major threats.
 Based on these methods other saline wetland ecosystems be analyzed more
frequently so that restoration steps be prioritized for their conservation.

31. Research Gap

32. References
 Messager, M. L., Lehner, B., Grill, G., Nedeva, I. & Schmitt, O. Estimating the volume and age of water stored in global
lakes using a geo-statistical approach. Nat. Commun. 7, 13603 (2016).
 Wetzel, R. G. (2001). Limnology, Third Edition.

34. Questions:
Role of inland saline wetland ecosystems in the
face of climate change
Rajashree Naik
Central University of Rajasthan

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