Modelling sediment transport in shallow lakes — interactions between sediment transport and sediment composition

In shallow, wind exposed lakes, the light conditions, the cycling of nutrients, heavy metals and organic micro-pollutants and changes in the local composition of the sediment top layer can be dominated by resuspension/erosion of bottom sediment and sedimentation of suspended solids. A 2 dimensional model for Sediment Transport, Resuspension and Sedimentation in Shallow lakes (STRESS-2d), based on an existing transport model, is discussed. In the model, mass balance equations for the water compartment and the bottom sediment are solved numerically. Up to 7 sediment fractions can be taken into account, each having a specific set of resuspension/erosion and sedimentation parameter values. Several options for modelling the changes in the bottom sediment composition are available.A simulation experiment for Lake Veluwe (The Netherlands), in which model options with and without the distinction of sediment fractions were used, showed that using sediment fractions to account for the variability in the sediment composition leads to an improvement of the model results, particularly the simulated phosphorus sediment-water exchange fluxes. For Lake Ketel (The Netherlands) two options for modelling changes in the bottom sediment composition are compared. It is shown that an option in which a thin water-sediment layer on top of the more consolidated bottom sediment is simulated provides an improvement in the simulation of the suspended solids concentration.     

Ecotoxicological threshold levels of a mixture of herbicides (atrazine, diuron and metolachlor) in freshwater microcosms

Twelve indoor, plankton-dominated, freshwater microcosms (600 l) were used to study the effect of a mixture of herbicides on structural and functional aspects of these ecosystems. The EC50, 72 h values of the most susceptible standard test alga Selenastrum capricornutum (EC50, atrazine=54 μg l−1, EC50, diuron=15 μg l−1, EC50, metolachlor=56 μg l−1) were used as a starting point for the dosage applied in the microcosms (dosages: 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1× EC50). The microcosms were exposed to chronic levels for 28 days and subsequently monitored for 4 more weeks. The following effects were observed: (1) direct effects became apparent from an initial drop in photosynthesis efficiency, pH and oxygen concentration and a decrease in the abundance of several phytoplankton taxa at the 0.3 × EC50 treatment level and higher. (2) Fourteen days post application an increase in the abundance of several phytoplankton taxa (Chlamydomonas sp. and Stephanodiscus/Cyclotella) was observed; oxygen concentrations recovered while alkalinity, conductivity and total inorganic nitrogen were elevated. (3) Effects on fauna were minor. Daphnia galeata showed a decreasing trend and the cyclopoid copepods an increasing trend at the end of the experiment. Multivariate statistical analyses demonstrated no effects of any treatment level on the zooplankton community. Effects were reported for the phytoplankton community at dose levels of 0.3 × EC50 and higher. On species level the most sensitive taxon was Chlorophyceae coccales. For this taxon a NOEC at the dose level of 0.01 × EC50 was calculated. This effect however was relatively small in magnitude and merely based on an increase in numbers in the control and lowest treated microcosms rather than a decrease in numbers in all other treatments. The standards based on algal toxicity data, as adopted by the Uniform Principles, consist of a safety factors of 0.1 to be multiplied with the EC50. The NOEC of coccales was lower than 0.1 × EC50. All other observed variables in this aquatic ecosystem were sufficiently protected against the mixture of herbicides by the safety factor as proposed in the Uniform Principles. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Estimation of the photosynthesis/irradiance (P/I) curve parameters from light and dark bottle experiments

Light and dark bottle experiments, carried out in three systemsin the Netherlands, were used to estimate the parameters ofmodels relating the oxygen production rate to incident lightintensity. The maximum production rate (P_M) and the light saturationconstant (I_S) were estimated using both gross and nett oxygenproduction data. In the latter case, the community oxygen consumptionrate (R_ox was also estimated. Eight models were compared withrespect to goodness of fit, as has been accomplished previouslyby Jassby and Platt (Limnol. Oceanogr., 21, 540–547, 1976)and many others. This study, however, emphasizes the problemof parameter correlation and the consequential usefulness ofthese type of experiments to identify the P/I curve parameters.The results show that at a 90% level of confidence, the modelscannot be distinguished with respect to goodness of fit. However,the models do show distinct differences in parameter correlation.Parameter correlation was shown to be related to the shape ofthe curve. P/I curves with high convexity were shown to be lesssensitive for parameter correlation. In particular, models showinglow convexity suffer from over-paraineterisation, which meansthat on the basis of the observed production rates it is difficultto discriminate between the parameters. Also, alternative modelformulations, using P_M and the initial slope (), were investigated.These formulations produced less parameter correlation. However,for models with low convexity, showing high parameter correlationanyway, the reduction is limited. The use of nett oxygen productiondata does not show a significant difference in fit at a 90%confidence level. However, measured R_ox from dark bottle experimentstends to be higher than the values found by estimating R_ox fromnett oxygen production.