Hydrodynamics and water quality of the Hongze Lake in response to human activities

The hydrodynamics and water quality of a lake in response to human activities is an important yet poorly understood issue. In this study, the responses of flow field, water level, and water quality of the Hongze Lake to changes in land use, project operation, and pollution accident were investigated using the 2D hydrodynamic model, water quality model, and hydrological model. The results show that project operations have more significant effects on the hydrodynamics and water quality of the Hongze Lake than changes in land use. In addition, the construction and operation of various water conservancy projects could increase pollutant diffusion and water exchange, thus contributing to improve the water quality of the Hongze Lake, but there is a need to solve the problem of rising water level in the Lihe depression lake area. The increase of urban and farmland area can significantly affect the flow of the Hongze Lake that could increase the flood risk. The simulations of the loosely coupled model imply that the coupling among the hydrodynamic model, water quality model, and SWAT model for the lake basin is feasible. Furthermore, a model based on the space grid was proposed in the study and combined with the verified loosely coupled model to assess the flood risk in the Hongze Lake, which could improve water resources and flood retarding basin operations.