Mathematical Modelling as a Tool for the Assessment of Impact of Thermodynamics on the Algal Growth in Dam Reservoirs – Case Study of the Goczalkowice Reservoir

Abstract

Depending on climate conditions, bathymetry, basin morphology, management practices and other factors, some reservoirs are more or less prone to stratification, which can strongly affect both chemical and biological status of water. In the Goczalkowice Reservoir (the biggest dam reservoir in the south of Poland), water quality parameters, such as chlorophyll a concentration, change very dynamically. In the presented study, the Estuary, Lake and Coastal Ocean Model (ELCOM) was applied to simulate water thermodynamics in a period of summer and autumn when the highest concentrations of chlorophyll a were observed, based on the continuous water monitoring in the ZiZOZap project (Łaszczyca et al., 2011). The purpose of the application of ELCOM was to simulate the thermal stratification in the reservoir and to prepare a basis for analyses of the relationship between water thermodynamics and quality. Simulations allowed the identification of several short water mixing events in summer and the final mixing event at the end of summer. The study also included the first application of model results to analyse the relation of changes in water temperature with observed concentration of chlorophyll a (ChlA). Analysis confirmed that each water mixing event was followed by a significant increase in ChlA concentration.

Stratification in a Reservoir Mixed by Bubble Plumes under Future Climate Scenarios

“…Model Description AEM3D, a coupled 3D model of hydrodynamics and ecology, was used for this study. This model is established for considering various hydro-environments and capturing many related physical and biogeochemical processes [33,35,37,57], though this study only focused on physical process modelling. It has often been employed in reservoir studies [33], including the evaluation of dammed rivers [36] and reservoirs of various sizes [35].…”

“…This model is established for considering various hydro-environments and capturing many related physical and biogeochemical processes [33,35,37,57], though this study only focused on physical process modelling. It has often been employed in reservoir studies [33], including the evaluation of dammed rivers [36] and reservoirs of various sizes [35]. The model allows for the prediction of mixing requirements [36], temperature arrangements [36] and management methods [35].…”

“…It has often been employed in reservoir studies [33], including the evaluation of dammed rivers [36] and reservoirs of various sizes [35]. The model allows for the prediction of mixing requirements [36], temperature arrangements [36] and management methods [35]. The volume of research done shows that the model has a wide range of applicability [33][34][35][36][37].…”

“…This study presents in situ observations of temperature in the shallow, aerated Blagdon Lake during the 2017 heatwave. These observations are used as the basis for the development of a 3D hydrodynamic model, via the widely used AEM3D [33][34][35][36][37] which is available publicly with a yearly licence, to capture effects of extreme events on stratification such as the 2017 summer heatwave. With this calibrated model and down-scaled hourly future forcing data, this study examines how effective bubble plumes will be under future climate scenarios.…”

A modelling approach to simulate Chlorophyta and Cyanobacteria biomasses based on historical data of a Brazilian urban reservoir

“…Ecological modeling is the result of the demand to comprehend biotic responses to environmental impacts, as abiotic criteria are not sufficient to represent the full complexity of aquatic systems. In recent decades, technological advances, as well as conceptual improvements and increased access for different social actors in the modeling process (Robson, 2014) have allowed the expansion of these tools (Ulańczyk et al, 2018;van der Linden et al, 2015).…”