Abstract
The Okubo pond is an agricultural pond located in the Itoshima area of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was constructed for irrigating a nearby cultivated area. A monitoring program from August 11 to November 26, 2008, suggested the risk of eutrophication in the water body. The high total nitrogen concentration (1.34 mg/l), high total phosphorus concentration (0.06 mg/l) and extreme oxygen depletion (2 mg/l on 5 November 2008) exceeded the Japanese standards for paddy irrigation water. Furthermore, luxuriant algal blooming in October indicated a hypereutrophic status according to the OECD (1982) criteria. In this study, a one-box ecosystem model was developed to obtain an insight into the seasonal variations in the algal concentrations and chemical components of the Okubo pond with the aims of protecting its aquatic ecosystem and maintaining its water quality. The model was based on a completely mixed system and included 12 water-quality indices: green algae, blue-green algae, diatoms and dinoflagellates, cryptophytes, zooplankton, particulate organic matter, dissolved organic matter, phosphate–phosphorus, ammonia–nitrogen, nitrite–nitrogen, nitrate–nitrogen, and dissolved oxygen. The monitoring data were used to verify the model simulation. Model evaluation suggested good agreement between the predicted and the observed data for the seasonal variations in the algal, nutrient, and dissolved oxygen concentrations. To determine the sensitivity of the model parameters, a sensitivity analysis was conducted leading to the conclusion that the optimal temperature, growth rate, and respiratory rate of the four algal groups, especially the ideal temperature for blue-green and green algae are the most influential factors determining the variability affecting the model inference. From the model simulation, the water temperature and nutrient concentration were considered to be the key limiting factors controlling alternative algal blooms in this period.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abe K, Ozaki Y, Mizuta K (1999) Evaluation of useful plants for the treatment of polluted pond water with low N and P concentrations. Soil Sci Plant Nutr 45:737–744
Baca RG, Arnett RC (1976) A limnological model for eutrophic lakes and impoundments, Battelle, Inc. Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Richland, Washington
Bierman VJJR (1976) Mathematical model of the selective enhancement of blue-green algae by nutrient enrichment. In: Canale RP (ed) Modeling biochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems. Ann Arbor Science Publisher, Ann Arbor, Michigan, pp 1–31
Bowie GL, Mills WB, Porcella DB, Campell CL, Pagenkopf JR, Rupp GL, Johnson KM, Chan PWH, Gherini SA, Chamberlin CE (1985) Rates, constants, and kinetic formulation in surface water quality modeling. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD, Athens, GA, ERL, EPA/600/3-85/040
Cariboni J, Gatelli D, Liska R, Saltelli A (2007) The role of sensitivity analysis in ecological modelling. Ecol Model 203:167–182
Cerco C (1995) Simulation of long-term trends in Chesapeake Bay eutrophication. J Environ Eng 121(4):298–310
Chen CW, Orlob GT (1972) Ecologic simulations for aquatic environment. Water Resources Engineer, Inc., Walnut Creek, California, For the Office of Water Resources Research
Di Toro DM, Connolly JP (1980) Mathematical models of water quality in large lakes. Part II: Lake Erie. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ecological Research Series. EPA-600/3-3-80-065
Di Toro DM, O’Connor DJ, Thomann RV (1971) A dynamic model of the phytoplankton population in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In: Non equilibrium systems in natural water chemistry, Adv. Chem. Ser. 106. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, pp 131–180
Eppley RW (1972) Temperature and phytoplankton growth in the sea. Fish Bull 70:1063–1085
Eppley RW, Sloan PR (1965) Carbon balance experiments with marine phytoplankton. J Fish Res Board Can 22:1083–1097
Hiramatsu K, Oshima Y, Inoue S, Shikasho S (2005) Numerical modeling of environmental behavior and fate of tributylin in a semi-closed bay. Paddy Water Environ 3:79–92
Iseri H, Harada M, Hiramatsu K, Mori M, Marui A (2008) Evaluation of water quality environment in eutrophic reservoirs using an ecosystem model. Science Bulletin of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University 63:147–160 (in Japanese with English summary)
Jeffrey SW, Anderson JM (2000) Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta) holds promising insights for photosynthesis. J Phycol 36:449–452
Jorgensen SE, Bendoricchio G (2001) Fundamentals of ecological modeling, 3rd edn. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Jorgensen SE, Mejer H, Friis M (1978) Examination of a lake model. Ecol Model 4:253–278
Jorgensen SE, Halling-Sorensen B, Nielsen SN (1996) Handbook of environmental and ecological modeling. CRC Press LLC, New York
Matsumoto A, Harada M, Hiramatsu K, Mori M, Marui A (2008) Evaluations of aquatic environment in eutrophic reservoirs based on the seasonal change in phytoplankton and zooplankton. Bulletin of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University 63:161–177 (in Japanese with English summary)
Matsuoka Y, Goda T, Naito M (1986) An eutrophication model of Lake Kasumigaura. Ecol Model 31:201–219
Mieleitner J, Reichert J (2007) Modelling functional groups of phytoplankton in three lakes of different trophic state. Ecol Model 211:279–291
O’Connor DJ, Mancini JL, Guerriero JR (1981) Evaluation of factors influencing the temporal variation of dissolved oxygen in the New York Bight, PHASE II. Manhattan College, Bronx, New York
OECD (1982) Eutrophication of waters: Monitoring, assessment and control. Technical Report OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). Environmental Directorate, OECD, Paris, DAS/DSI/82:75-85
Scavia D, Park RA (1976) Documentation of selected constructs and parameter values in the aquatic model CLEANER. Ecol Model 2:33–58
Schladow GS, Hamilton DP (1997) Prediction of water quality in lakes and reservoirs: Part II—Model calibration, sensitivity analysis and application. Ecol Model 96:111–123
Steele JH (1965) Notes on some theoretical problems in production ecology. In: Goldman CR (ed) Primary production in aquatic environments. University of California Press, Berkeley, California, pp 393–398
Suthers IM, Rissik D (2009) Plankton: a guide to their ecology and monitoring for water quality. CSIRO, Australia
Tetra Tech, Inc. (1980) Methodology for evaluation of multiple power plant cooling system effects, Volume V. Methodology application to prototype—Cayuga Lake. Tetra Tech, Inc., Lafayette, California, For Electric Power Research Institute. Report EPRI EA-1111
Welch EB, Jacoby JM (2004) Pollutant effects in freshwater: applied limnology, 3rd edn. Spon Press, London & New York
Zhen-Gang J (2008) Hydrodynamics and water quality: modeling rivers, lakes and estuaries. Wiley, New York, USA
Acknowledgments
This research was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS; Project number: 19380138) and the Kyushu University New Campus Planning Office.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nguyen, D.T., Harada, M. & Hiramatsu, K. Evaluation of the water-quality dynamics in a eutrophic agricultural pond by using a one-box ecosystem model considering several algal groups. Paddy Water Environ 8, 301–318 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-010-0209-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-010-0209-3