On the parameterization of phytoplankton primary production in water ecosystem models

Abstract

Parametrization of the formation of organic matter in ecological models is traditionally carried out by using the dependence of the Michaelis – Menten – Monod type [Monod, 1942], which describes the growth rate of algal biomass depending on the factor limiting their development. One of the biggest drawbacks of these dependences is the presence of empirical parameters in them, which in a complex way depend on environmental factors and are an individual characteristic of various types of algae. These parameters in the models actually become fitting coefficients that provide the best fit between observational data and modeling results, which does not allow for effective diagnostics and forecasting of the state of aquatic ecosystems. In this work, on the basis of dimensional analysis, a parametrization was obtained that describes the photosynthesis of algae depending on the parameters relatively easily measured in natural conditions - total solar radiation, phytoplankton biomass, and water transparency. Parametrization has been verified according to observations on more than 30 different types of lakes located in different regions of the world. The calculated data are in satisfactory agreement with the data of field observations, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Discrepancies in field and calculated data may be due to the fact that the species composition of algae in lakes of different trophic status is not taken into account, which can lead to errors in assessing the efficiency of using solar radiation. Discrepancies may also be related to the total solar radiation, rather than photosynthetic active radiation, which varies in different geographic and atmospheric conditions. The proposed parametrization can be used in the development of mathematical models of lake ecosystems, as well as to determine the trophic status of poorly studied water bodies.