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Integrative Indicator for Assessing the Alert Levels of Algal Bloom in Lakes: Lake Taihu as a Case Study

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Abstract

Algal blooms have recently become one of the most serious environmental problems in eutrophic freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Although many observation and simulation approaches have been applied to predict algal blooms, few studies have addressed the alert levels of algal blooms using integrative indicators in a large lake with multiple service function and significant horizontal heterogeneity. This study developed an integrative indicator assessment system (IIAS) to rank the alert level of algal blooms. In the IIAS, algal biomass, area percentage, distance from drinking water intake points, distance from scenic zones and duration of algal bloom were used as indicators to calculate a comprehensive alert level, which was classified into five grades (Vigilance, Low, Moderate, High, and Severe). Lake Taihu was taken as a case study to assess the comprehensive alert level of algal blooms in 2007 and 2010. The comprehensive alert level showed obvious spatial–temporal patterns, with an acceptable accuracy in Lake Taihu. The comprehensive alert levels were relatively higher in typical phytoplankton subzones than typical hydrophytes subzones and are more sensitive to weight factor in the northern and western subzones where high biomass usually occurs. Case study showed a very good application of the proposed comprehensive alert level assessment methodology, which can be adjusted to predict the degree of hazard of algal blooms in multi-service function large lakes to help the government and decision makers to act to prevent the disaster from algal bloom spreading.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been carried out within the framework of the research project “Study on the influence of water level control on submerged vegetation in a lake and its mechanism”(NSFC41230853). We thank the Water Resources Conservation Bureau, Taihu Basin Authority and MWR for providing monitoring data on Lake Taihu and the water fluxes and matter discharge of the influent and effluent rivers. We also thank Zhixin Hu for his help in the field observations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Qinqin Li & Weiping Hu

  2. Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China

    Qinqin Li

  3. Water Resources Conservation Bureau, Taihu Basin Authority, MWR, 480 Jinian Road, Shanghai, 200434, China

    Shuhua Zhai

Authors
  1. Qinqin Li
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  2. Weiping Hu
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  3. Shuhua Zhai
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Correspondence to Weiping Hu.

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Li, Q., Hu, W. & Zhai, S. Integrative Indicator for Assessing the Alert Levels of Algal Bloom in Lakes: Lake Taihu as a Case Study. Environmental Management 57, 237–250 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0604-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0604-z

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