Lake Eutrophication Model: A Coupled Hydrophysical-Ecological Model

Abstract

Chapter 2 introduces the principle of decomposition and aggregation as an important basis of the approach to the Lake Balaton study. In Section 2.2, the principle is applied to the development of the lake eutrophication model (LEM), distinguishing between alternative levels of model complexity and detail. The four-box model, a “discrete” approach, and the one-dimensional (1-D) “continuous” model are first introduced in Section 2.2. The continuous model is capable of greater precision in representing the spatial differences caused by loading distribution, wind-induced circulation, and mass transport. Furthermore, the continuous model should more realistically reflect dynamic changes in water quality that are due to unsteady mass transport. Nevertheless, — as will be shown — the four-box model structure is an acceptable, albeit less accurate, modeling approach.