Eco-hydrodynamic Modelling of Chini Lake: Model Description

Abstract

In this study, we coupled a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model with an ecosystem model and applied it to the shallow complex floodplain wetland of Chini Lake in Malaysia. Our objective was to provide a better understanding of the lake’s ecosystem dynamics under different forcing mechanisms. Simulations and validation were performed over a dry month period. Wind speed ranged between 0 and 7.7 m s−1, whilst air temperature ranged between 22.0 and 35.6 °C. Advective transport driven by wind stress was the dominant physical force that shaped the water quality variations during the dry season. Convective circulation intermittently influenced the circulation during calm conditions. Nutrient concentration and stratification of dissolved oxygen (DO) varied between the lakes. Wind events saw patterns of the surface DO concentrations move spatially in the direction of the wind. The ecosystem model simulation suggested that the water quality in Chini Lake was influenced by macrophyte production, although the dissolved and particulate organic carbon accounted for the major fraction of organic matter content in the lake.