LAKE2K: Eutrophication

Modelling

Steve Chapra
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Tufts University

22 June 2012
 EUTROPHICATION:
OVERABUNDANT PLANT GROWTH
DUE TO EXCESSIVE
NUTRIENT LOADINGS
Production/Decomposition Cycle in Nature
ORGANIC
MATTER

O2

Solar ATMOSPHERE Chemical

Energy PRODUCTION DECOMPOSITION Energy

CO2
INORGANIC
NUTRIENTS

Photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2
Respiration
LIEBIG'S LAW OF THE MINIMUM:

Growth is controlled not by

the total amount of
resources available, but by
the scarcest resource
(the "limiting factor").
Plant fertilizer

algal protoplasm

C106 H263 O110 N16 P1

NITROGEN VERSUS PHOSPHORUS
! Nitrogen
! Has huge gaseous phase
! Nitrogen fixation
! Settling is not that big
! Phosphorus
! No gaseous phase
! Associates strongly with
particulate matter
Implication: Phosphorus might tend
to be in shorter supply in freshwater
PHYTOPLANKTON C6 H12 O6
STOICHIOMETRY: C106 H263 O110 N 16 P1
The Redfield Ratio C : N : P
106 12 : 16 14 : 1 31

40% : 7.2% : 1%

N
other 7.2% P
1%
wet dry 51.8%
90% 10%
C
40%
PHYTOPLANKTON STOICHIOMETRY:
The Redfield Ratio chlorophyll a

D : C : N : P : A

100% : 40% : 7.2% : 1% : 0.5-2.0%

N : P

7.2 : 1

If N:P > 7.2 Then

Phosphorus limits
If N:P < 7.2 Then
Nitrogen limits
 ADVANCED
EUTROPHICATION
MODELING
! Phytoplankton growth
! Predator-Prey Interactions
! Nutrient-Food Chain Models
! LAKE2K
 da
Incorporating dt
= kg a

Limits to if a = a0 at t = 0
Growth a = ao e
kg t

t, d 0 1 10 100
a, mg m -3 1 7.8 4.85x10 8 7.2x10 86

da
=
k g ( T , N , I ) a -
kr a -
kd a
dt growth respiration death

k g ( T , N , I ) =
k g ,T
N
L

temperature nutrients light

 20
Tepi
10

Seasonal Thypo
0
Cycle in J F M A M J J A S O N D
Deep, 12
SRP
Temperate 8

Lake 4
Algal P
0
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 uptake
nutrient algae
release
da
= ku n - kr a
dt
LINEAR dn
= - ku n + kr a
dt
ALGAE 20
MODELING 15 algae
10
5 nutrient
0
0 2 4 6 8 10

time
 HOW DO WE GET
REALISTIC LEVELS OF ALGAE
AND CYCLES?
Introduce Environmental
Limits to Growth based on
Time-Variable Factors
Introduce Nonlinear Death
due to Predator-Prey
Interactions
 kg
(a) Experiment 1:
optimal light
excess nutrients
vary temperature

kg
(b) Experiment 2:
optimal light
fixed temperature
FACTORS (20oC)
vary nutrient
INFLUENCING
PHYTOPLANKTON N
GROWTH kg
(c) Experiment 3:
fixed temperature
(20 oC)
excess nutrients
vary light

I
PHYTOPLANKTON
GROWTH
dap
= k g ,max (T ) min[ p , n , ...] ap
dt

temperature light nutrients

The s are (0 1) numbers

 TEMPERATURE
DEPENDENCY
kg,T 8
(d-1 )
Theta model
6 = 1.066

4
linear
kg,opt
kg,20 2 optimal

0
0 Tmin 20 Topt Tmax 40
T ( o C)
 TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCIES
FOR PHYTOPLANKTON GROUPS

4 Mixed
population
Greens
3

kg,T 2
Blue
(d -1 ) greens
Diatoms

1
Flagellates
0
0 10 20 30 40
T ( o C)
WHY USE THETA MODEL?

kg(T) = kg(20) T-20

Good for Total Chlorophyll

 NUTRIENT LIMITATION
MICHAELIS-MENTEN KINETICS

N
1

0.5
N

N =

ks +
N
0
0 ks N
Half-saturation Constant
 MULTIPLE
NUTRIENT LIMITATION

na + nn pi

N = min ,
k sN + na + nn k sP + pi
STEELES LIGHT RESPONSE
MODEL
I
I 1-
Is
FLp = e
Is
FLp 1.2

0.8

0.6
0.4

0.2

0 I
0 200 Is 400 600 800 1000
 I
(a) Diurnal
variation of
light t
midnight noon midnight

(b) Light
IMPACT attenuation
mixed layer

OF LIGHT ON with depth

PHOTOSYNTHESIS
z

kg

(c) Dependence
of growth rate
on light
I
 LIGHT LIMITATION
- ke z
- ke z I ae
+1
1 H2 1 fTp Iae -
Is
L = e dt dz
H H1 Tp 0 Is

Ia - k H Ia
- e e -
2.718 f Is Is
L = e - e
ke H
 PHYTOPLANKTON
MASS BALANCE

dap
= k g ,max (T ) L min[ p , n , ...] ap- kr ap- Death
dt

temperature light nutrients respiration

PLANT GROWTH IN A BATCH
REACTOR WITH NO DEATH
10 phosphorus

c 5
( g/L)
algae

0
0 10 20 t (d)
THE WOLVES
AND
MOOSE OF
ISLE ROYALE

Lake
Superior
MOOSE AND WOLVES
SEPARATED
dM dW
= k gm M = - kd W
dt dt
100
Moose

50

Wolves
0
0 10 20
 MOOSE AND WOLVES
INTERACTING
dM
= kgm M - Cwm MW
dt
dW
= - kd W + (Ywm ) Cwm MW
dt
Lotka-Volterra Equations
Alfred Vito
 PREDATOR-PREY
CALCULATIONS

Prey

Predator time
 PREDATOR (ZOOPLANKTON)
AND PREY (PHYTOPLANKTON)
1
mgC L-1

zoo
0.5 phyto

0 40 80
time (days)
 SIMPLE NUTRIENT/
FOOD-CHAIN MODEL

ZOOPLANKTON C P
(gC m-3 ) rpc
C

rca
chl P
rpa
1-
chl
PHYTOPLANKTON chl P PHOSPHORUS
rap (mg-P m-3 )
(mg-A m-3 )
 SIMPLE NUTRIENT/
FOOD-CHAIN MODEL
mgC L-1 1 total

0.5

ap z

0
0 50 100 150
time (days)
 IMPLICATIONS
BENEFITS
Multiple Nutrients
Multiple Algal Groups
Top-down Control
COSTS
Weve opened a can of worms
More Data Needed
 LAKE2K

Build it and they will come

WHY PHYSICS IS IMPORTANT
If physics is wrong, you never
know if chemistry and biology
are correct
! Water balance
! Have you accounted for all water?
! Residence time
! Heat balance
! All reactions are temperature dependent
! Stratification and vertical mixing
 L2K
PHYSICAL MODEL
Qp Qe
A0
Qout
epi (1) H1
Qin
Temp
cond A1
meta (2) H2
H
A2

hypo (3)
H3
HYPSOGRAPHIC CALCULATIONS

4.50E+05 7.00E+06
4.00E+05 6.00E+06
3.50E+05
5.00E+06
3.00E+05
2.50E+05 4.00E+06

2.00E+05 3.00E+06
1.50E+05
2.00E+06
1.00E+05
5.00E+04 1.00E+06

0.00E+00 0.00E+00
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00

Area (m2) Volume (m3)

 L2K HEAT BALANCE
Surface Heat
Precipitation Exchange
Heat inflow

Heat
outflow
Heat
inflow
Temp
cond
WATER COLUMN KINETICS

h o
cp cd sod
x
s
o
h n dn
no na nn d r
rnc zc
s e
g
r
s rpc rnc rca zh
ran e
mi g
h p r
s ap rca
po pi rap
s s
rpc o
 CALIBRATING THE
LAKE2K
WATER QUALITY MODEL
CALIBRATION STRATEGY
! Get temperature right first
(by adjusting vertical mixing)
! Then, inorganic suspended solids
(by adjusting ISS settling velocity)
! Water Quality
! Phytoplankton
! Herbivorous zooplankton
! Carnivorous zooplankton
! Inorganic phosphorus