Limnology Exercises: Cultural Eutrophication
This exercise introduces you to Jay Anderson's
(1973) model of eutrophication.
Anderson adopted a 200 year time horizon to simulate natural eutrophication,
a gradual process
in which biomass builds slowly over time, depleting the oxygen in the lake.
He then turned his attention to cultural or "artificial" eutrophication,
a more rapid process which occurs when man's activities accelerate the buildup
of biomass.
Artifical eutrophication can occur when larger quantities of nutrients (such
as phosphorus and nitrogen) find their way
from the fertilized agricultural areas to the streams that feed the lake.
Anderson used the model to simulate alternative policies for arresting eutrophication.
His tests included the application of algicide to purge the lake of algal
biomass, aeration of the lake to restore oxygen levels,
and dredging the lake bottom to remove detrital sediments.
an introductory model
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