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Updated: Oct 7, 2025

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
Multi-column modelling of lake Geneva for climate applications
Romain Gaillard1,2, Marjorie Perroud1, Stéphane Goyette1,2
1Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, bd Carl Vogt 66, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland.
A multi-column lake model offers a computationally efficient way to simulate lake thermodynamics and dynamics, providing a viable alternative to complex 3D models for regional climate research.
Area of Science:
- Environmental science
- Atmospheric science
- Limnology
Background:
- Large inland water bodies significantly influence regional weather and climate.
- Lake dynamics, thermodynamics, and ecosystems are affected by atmospheric interactions.
- Modeling lake-atmosphere interactions is crucial for climate studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess a multi-column lake model as a computationally efficient alternative to 3D hydrodynamic models.
- To evaluate the model's ability to reproduce key lake thermal structures and exchanges.
- To determine the suitability of the multi-column model for coupling with regional climate models.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a turbulence-closure multi-column lake model in standalone mode.
- Focused on Lake Geneva for the simulation.
- Compared model performance against observed seasonal mean thermal structures.
Main Results:
- The multi-column model reasonably reproduced seasonal mean thermal structures (stratified period, thermocline depth, water column stability).
- The model showed limitations in simulating certain short-term features.
- The multi-column model requires significantly less computational resources than 3D models.
Conclusions:
- The multi-column lake model is a computationally efficient tool for simulating lake thermodynamics and dynamics.
- It serves as a practical alternative to 3D models for specific applications.
- The model's efficiency facilitates two-way coupling with regional climate models for enhanced climate projections.
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