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Updated: May 13, 2026

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
A three-dimensional water quality modeling approach for exploring the eutrophication responses to load reduction
1Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of Pollution Process and Management of Plateau Lake-Watershed, Kunming 650034, China.
Abstract:
Lake Yilong in Southwestern China has been under serious eutrophication threat during the past decades; however, the lake water remained clear until sudden sharp increase in Chlorophyll a (Chl a) and turbidity in 2009 without apparent change in external loading levels. To investigate the causes as well as examining the underlying mechanism, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model was developed, simulating the flow circulation, pollutant fate and transport, and the interactions between nutrients, phytoplankton and macrophytes. The calibrated and validated model was used to conduct three sets of scenarios for understanding the water quality responses to various load reduction intensities and ecological restoration measures. The results showed that (a) even if the nutrient loads is reduced by as much as 77%, the Chl a concentration decreased only by 50%; and (b) aquatic vegetation has strong interaction with phytoplankton, therefore requiring combined watershed and in-lake management for lake restoration.
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