Application of a three-dimensional water quality model as a decision support tool for the management of land-use changes in the catchment of an oligotrophic lake

Meeting the Growing Need for Land-Water System Modelling to Assess Land Management Actions

Elevated contaminant levels and hydrological alterations resulting from land use are degrading aquatic ecosystems on a global scale. A range of land management actions may be used to reduce or prevent this degradation. To select among alternative management actions, decision makers require predictions of their effectiveness, their economic impacts, estimated uncertainty in the predictions, and estimated time lags between management actions and environmental responses. There are multiple methods for generating these predictions, but the most rigorous and transparent methods involve quantitative modelling. The challenge for modellers is two-fold. First, they must employ models that represent complex land-water systems, including the causal chains linking land use to contaminant loss and water use, catchment processes that alter contaminant loads and flow regimes, and ecological responses in aquatic environments. Second, they must ensure that these models meet the needs of endusers in terms of reliability, usefulness, feasibility and transparency. Integrated modelling using coupled models to represent the land-water system can meet both challenges and has advantages over alternative approaches. The need for integrated land-water system modelling is growing as the extent and intensity of human land use increases, and regulatory agencies seek more effective land management actions to counter the adverse effects. Here we present recommendations for modelling teams, to help them improve current practices and meet the growing need for land-water system models. The recommendations address several aspects of integrated modelling: (1) assembling modelling teams; (2) problem framing and conceptual modelling; (3) developing spatial frameworks; (4) integrating economic and biophysical models; (5) selecting and coupling models.

Seasonal Succession of Phytoplankton Functional Groups and Driving Factors of Cyanobacterial Blooms in a Subtropical Reservoir in South China

Freshwater phytoplankton communities can be classified into a variety of functional groups that are based on physiological, morphological, and ecological characteristics. This classification method was used to study the temporal and spatial changes in the phytoplankton communities of Gaozhou Reservoir, which is a large municipal water source in South China. Between January 2015 and December 2017, a total of 155 taxa of phytoplankton that belong to seven phyla were identified. The phytoplankton communities were classified into 28 functional groups, nine of which were considered to be representative functional groups (relative biomass > 10%). Phytoplankton species richness was greater in the summer and autumn than in the winter and spring; cyanobacterial blooms occurred in the spring. The seasonal succession of phytoplankton functional groups was characterized by the occurrence of functional groups P (Staurastrum sp. and Closterium acerosum) and Y (Cryptomonas ovata and Cryptomonas erosa) in the winter and spring, and functional groups NA (Cosmarium sp. and Staurodesmus sp.) and P (Staurastrum sp. and Closterium acerosum) in the summer and autumn. The temperature, nitrogen, and phosphorus levels were the main factors driving seasonal changes in the phytoplankton communities of Gaozhou Reservoir. The functional group M (Microcystis aeruginosa) dominated the community during the cyanobacterial blooms in spring 2016, with the maximum algal cell density of 3.12 × 108 cells L−1. Relatively low temperature (20.8 °C), high concentrations of phosphorus (0.080–0.110 mg L−1), suitable hydrological and hydrodynamic conditions (e.g., relatively long retention time), and relatively closed geographic location in the reservoir were the key factors that stimulated the cyanobacterial blooms during the early stages.

Assessment of eutrophication and water quality in the estuarine area of Lake Wuli, Lake Taihu, China

Our study assessed the actual water situation in the estuarine area of Lake Wuli, Meiliang Bay, Lake Taihu, China, based on eutrophication levels and status of water quality using the trophic level index (TLI) and water quality index (WQI) methods. In the wet (August 2017) and dry (March 2018) seasons, 22 estuarine areas were tested at 69 sampling sites, which included lake and rivers. Five parameters-chlorophyll a (Chl-a), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), Secchi disk (SD) and permanganate index (COD_Mn)-were measured to calculate the TLI, and 15 parameters-temperature (T), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), total dissolved solids (TDS), TN, TP, ammonium (NH₄-N), nitrate (NO₃-N), nitrite (NO₂-N), COD_Mn, calcium (Ca²⁺), magnesium (Mg²⁺), chloride (Cl^-) and phosphate (PO₄-P)-were measured to calculate the WQI. The average TLI and WQI values in the wet season were 61.69 and 60.70, respectively, and the eutrophication level and water quality status were worse than that in the dry season (TLI: 57.40, WQI: 65.74). Significant differences were observed between three parts of Lake Wuli (West, Middle and East). Regardless of wet or dry season, East Wuli had worse eutrophication levels and water quality status than the other parts, whereas West Wuli showed less severe levels. DO, TN and COD_Mn used in the minimum WQI (WQI_min) were the most effective parameters in our study. WQI_min had stricter standards than WQI when analyzing water quality in the estuarine area of Wulihu. Factor analysis from principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that N might be the main factor affecting water quality of the most eastern sites in the wet season, and P may be the main factor in the dry season. Our results provide a valuable contribution to inform decision-making for the management of water environments by providing the actual water situation of the estuarine area of Lake Wuli.

Scaling to the Organism: An Innovative Model of Dynamic Exposure Hotspots in Stream Systems

In flowing systems, fluctuations in the frequency, magnitude, and duration of exposure occurs due to turbulence and geomorphology, causing spatial and temporal variations in chemical exposure at the scale of the organism. Spatial models representing toxicant distribution at the appropriate scales of stream organisms are noticeably missing from the literature. To characterize the fine scale distribution of pollutants in freshwater streams at the scale of a benthic organism, nine artificial stream habitats were created (riffle, pool, run, bend, woody debris) with either sand or gravel substrate. Dopamine was released as a chemical tracer, mimicking a groundwater source, and measurements were recorded with a microelectrode and Epsilon electrochemical recording system. Proxies for the frequency, magnitude, and duration of chemical exposure were extracted. Geographic information systems and an inverse distance weight interpolation technique were used to predict spatially the chemical distribution throughout the habitats. Spatial and temporal variations of exposure were exhibited within and across habitats, indicating that the frequency, magnitude, and duration of exposure is influenced by the organism's location within a habitat and the habitat it resides in. The run and pool with sand substrate contained the greatest frequency, magnitude, and duration of exposure, suggesting a more detrimental exposure compared to other habitats. Differences in peak heights within and across habitats are orders of magnitude in value. Spatial and temporal fluctuations of fine scale exposure need to be considered in both ecotoxicology and water quality modeling to represent and understand the exposure of pollutants impacting benthic organisms.

Modelling interactive effects of multiple disturbances on a coastal lake ecosystem: Implications for management

Coastal lakes, also known as temporarily open/closed estuaries or intermittently closed and open lakes and lagoons, are common worldwide, are typically sites of high biodiversity and often contain abundant macrophyte populations. Anthropogenic stressors such as increased nutrient and sediment loading have adverse effects on submerged macrophytes, and when closed, the lack of tidal flushing makes coastal lakes highly susceptible to eutrophication. Lake openings to the sea may occur naturally, but many coastal lakes are also opened artificially, often to reduce inundation of surrounding land. Here we used a coupled hydrodynamic-ecological model (DYRESM-CAEDYM), modified to include dynamic feedback between submerged macrophyte biomass and sediment resuspension, to explore the interactive effects of multiple disturbances (openings, eutrophication and climate change) on the dynamics of primary producers in a coastal lake (Waituna Lagoon) in South Island, New Zealand. Our results indicate that with exposure to high external nutrient loads, the frequent disturbances caused by artificial openings prevent sustained dominance by algae (algal biomass averaged 192 g C m^-2 with artificial openings compared to 453 g C m^-2 with no openings). However, under current nutrient loading, climate change is likely to enhance the effects of eutrophication on the system (algal biomass averaged 227 g C m^-2 with climate change compared with 192 g C m^-2 for current climate). The model provides a decision-support tool to guide lake management in setting limits for nutrient loads and managing the opening regime, in order to prevent eutrophication and the potential collapse of the macrophyte community.

Quantifying Lake Water Quality Evolution: Coupled Geochemistry, Hydrodynamics, and Aquatic Ecology in an Acidic Pit Lake

Assessment of water quality evolution in the thousands of existing and future mine pit lakes worldwide requires new numerical tools that integrate geochemical, hydrological, and biological processes. A coupled model was used to test alternative hypothesized controls on water quality in a pit lake over ∼8 years. The evolution of pH, Al, and Fe were closely linked; field observations were reproduced with generic solubility equilibrium controls on Fe(III) and Al and a commonly reported acceleration of the abiotic Fe(II) oxidation rate by 2-3 orders of magnitude. Simulations indicated an ongoing acidity loading at the site, and the depletion of Al mineral buffering capacity after ∼5 years. Simulations also supported the existence of pH limitation on nitrification, and a limitation on phytoplankton growth other than the commonly postulated P and DIC limitations. Furthermore, the model reproduced the general patterns of salinity, pH, Al, and Fe during an uncontrolled river breach in 2011, however, incorporating sediment biogeochemical feedbacks is required to reproduce the observed postbreach internal alkalinity generation in the lake. The modeling approach is applicable to the study of hydrological, geochemical, and biological interactions for a range of lake and reservoir management challenges.