Abstract
Abstract. Lake eutrophication is a serious global environmental issue. Phytoremediation is a promising, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly technology for water quality restoration. However, besides nutrient removal, macrophytes also deeply affect the hydrologic cycle of a lake system through evapotranspiration. Changes in hydrologic cycle caused by macrophytes have a great influence on lake water quality restoration. As a result of the two opposite effects of macrophytes on water quality restoration (i.e. an increase in macrophytes can increase nutrient removal and improve water quality while also increasing evapotranspiration, reducing water volume and consequently decreasing water quality), rational macrophyte control through planting and harvest is very important. In this study, a new approach is proposed to optimise the initial planting area and monthly harvest scheme of macrophytes for water quality restoration. The month-by-month effects of macrophyte management on lake water quality are considered. Baiyangdian Lake serves as a case study, using the common reed. It was found that water quality was closest to Grade III on the Chinese water quality scale when the reed planting area was 123 km2 (40% of the lake surface area) and most reeds would be harvested at the end of June. The optimisation approach proposed in this study will be a useful reference for lake restoration.
Highlights
As a global environmental issue, lake eutrophication has become an enormous challenge in the water resources protection and water safety management field (Anderson and Garrison, 1997; Smith, 2003)
This study proposed an optimisation model for macrophyte management of water quality restoration in a shallow lake
Baiyangdian Lake was used as a case study, with common reed as the dominant plant
Summary
As a global environmental issue, lake eutrophication has become an enormous challenge in the water resources protection and water safety management field (Anderson and Garrison, 1997; Smith, 2003). As a result of over-discharge of nutrients from agricultural runoff and untreated industrial and urban sewage, many lakes are experiencing eutrophication (Smith et al, 1999; Jin, 2003). Degradation of water quality can lead to a series of side effects and result in loss of ecological functions and degradation of aquatic ecosystems (National Research Council, 2000). Eutrophication has a severe effect on many sectors of the economy, with high social, ecological and policy response costs (Pretty et al, 2003). Frequent algal blooms caused by eutrophication are inedible or even toxic to consumer species, resulting in food-web alterations and potentially detrimental effects on biodiversity and fisheries (Paerl et al, 2001; Qin, 2009). An eco-friendly and effective measure for water quality restoration is needed urgently in eutrophic shallow lakes
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