Aquatic Plant Control Research Program. A Mathematical Model of Submersed Aquatic Plants.

Abstract

Submersed auatic plants or macrophytes often contribute significantly to primary production in lakes and reservoirs. Macrtophyte growth and decomposition can influence the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of aquatic ecosystems, including temperature and concentrations of dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, inorganic carbon, detritus, phytoplankton, and fish. A mathematical model of submersed aquatic macrophyte growth and decomposition was developed for use with the US Army Corps of Engineers' one-dimensional reservoir water quality model, CE-QUAL-R1, which was developed under the Environmental and Water Quality Operational Studies (EWQOS). The ecological processes recommended for inclusion with the macrophyte compartment include: gross production, dark respiration, photorespiration, nonpredatory mortality, and grazing. The influence of these processes on other compartments in CE-QUAL-R1 is described. Select process equations have been validated using a stand-alone version of the recommended model based upon experimental results derived from the literature and other research at the US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station for two macrophyte species, Myriophyllum spicatum and Hydrilla verticillata. Management control strategies can be simulated for mechanical harvesting and chemical control of the plants. Keywords: Aquatic ecology; Aquatic plants--Mathematical models; Eurasian watermillfoil; and Water quality management.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA156774

Entities

People

  • C. D. Collins
  • C. W. Boylen
  • R. A. Park

Organizations

  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Algorithms
  • Aquatic Plants
  • Contracts
  • Engineers
  • Equations
  • Inclusions
  • Materials
  • Mathematical Models
  • Oceanography
  • Physiology
  • Plants
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Production
  • Reservoirs
  • Respiration
  • Simulations
  • Water Quality

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Aquatic Ecology
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Environmental Engineering