Development of Ecosystem Model for Brackish Lakes Considering Dynamics of Suspended Bacteria

Abstract

We developed an ecosystem model for brackish lakes considering dynamics of suspended bacteria such as heterotrophs and nitrifier, and applied it to Hinuma Lake for its calibration and validation. The model predicted well seasonal water quality changes in 1998 and 2004 compared with the previous model in which the suspended bacteria were not incorporated as model components. In particular, the estimation of the biological reactions such as nitrification and denitrification was effective in the simulation of ammonia and nitrite concentration. Additionally, nitrogen balance in Hinuma Lake estimated from the simulation showed the reliability of the model structure.