Water quality modeling of inland lakes in Indiana
Abstract
Oxygen is often considered one of the most fundamental water quality parameters of lakes as it is essential for aerobic metabolic activities of aquatic organisms. The dynamics of oxygen distribution in lakes are basic to the understanding of the distribution, behavior, and physiology of aquatic organisms (Wetzel 1983). Various factors such as climatic conditions, land use in the watershed, lake hydrodynamics, and ecology affect the dissolved oxygen concentration in lakes, thereby affecting the water quality. This complexity necessitates an integrated modeling approach that can account for all of those factors. In this research, an attempt has been made to understand the dissolved oxygen dynamics and the hydrodynamics of lakes based on analysis of observational data for 2009 and the application of a biophysical water quality model to study the effects of future watershed and climate changes on the water quality of inland lakes in Indiana. Crooked Lake (Whitley County) and Lake Maxinkuckee (Marshall County) are the two major lakes which have been studied while Adams Lake and Dewart Lake are secondary study lakes. A horizontally-averaged one dimensional water quality model, DYRESM-CAEDYM (CWR), has been used to simulate water quality variations for the ice-free part of the year. Measured profiles of water column nutrient concentration, chlorophyll-a concentration, temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements are used to calibrate and validate the model. The validated model will be used to study the impacts of future climate change and land use patterns on water quality in these lakes.
Degree
M.S.C.E.
Advisors
Troy, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Civil engineering|Environmental engineering
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