Reservoirs represent impoundments of river flows for multiple human purposes, including hydropower generation and industrial, recreational and agricultural activities. In considering the current state of dammed rivers and future projects, there is a major concern in tropical areas regarding the water quality of these aquatic ecosystems, most being subjected to eutrophication process. To this end, the Carlson (1977), Toledo (1983), Lamparelli (2004) and Cunha (2013) trophic state indices were applied and compared in six interconnected reservoirs from the Paraíba do Sul Ecoregion in Brazil that differ in their morphometry, nutrient loadings, water retention times and altitudes. Limnological variables were measured in an extensive monitoring programme carried out from 2011 to 2014 during both the rainy and dry seasons. Application of the different numerical models resulted in different trophic state classifications. Toledo's trophic state index was considered the best for assessing the trophic state of the study reservoirs since it under‐evaluates water transparency, which can be related more to inorganic turbidity rather than to phytoplankton biomass in tropical water systems. The Carlson index, developed for temperate zone lakes, resulted in higher trophic classifications, thereby not being considered a reliable model for the study reservoirs. Both the Lamparelli and Cunha indices generally classified the study reservoirs as being in an oligotrophic state, thereby underestimating their trophic status. All the trophic state indices varied seasonally, with water transparency being the only variable significantly affected by rainfall variations. Based on the results of the present study, it was concluded that an arbitrary choice of existing trophic state indices to evaluate the water quality in tropical environments might lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the actual trophic conditions of tropical waterbodies. Further, the weak correlation observed between total phosphorus and chlorophyll‐a concentrations indicates total phosphorus might not be a key factor limiting algal growth in tropical water systems, thereby meriting more research focusing on tropical reservoirs, as well as development of new trophic state indices, including consideration of other potentially limiting factors.

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