Oni, Stephen
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Research article2013Peer reviewed
Modelling phosphorus in Lake Simcoe and its subcatchments: scenario analysis to assess alternative management strategies
Jin, L.; Whitehead, Paul G.; Baulch, Helen M.; Dillon, Peter J.; Butterfield, Dan A.; Oni, Stephen; Futter, Martyn; Crossman, Jill; O'Connor, Eavan M.
Abstract
In Lake Simcoe (Ontario, Canada), anthropogenic phosphorus (P) loads have contributed to increased algal growth, low hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen concentrations, and impaired fish reproduction. Management targets to control eutrophication require an ambitious programme to reduce P loads to the lake. Remediation strategies rely upon an improved understanding of P sources and assessment of the effectiveness of different control options. Here we present an application of the integrated catchment model for phosphorus (INCA-P) to examine P sources across the Lake Simcoe watershed and simulate in-lake P concentrations. This is the first application of INCA-P to a complex watershed of this nature and the first to include a lake component. We evaluated a set of management actions to simulate anticipated effects of P reduction strategies on in-lake total phosphorus (TP) concentrations. The INCA-P scenarios show the difficulty of achieving large-scale reductions from the watershed, given the low rates of P export; however, the study shows that a multifaceted strategy, including fertilizer reduction, addition of buffer strips, more stringent controls on sewage treatment plant effluent, and reduced deposition of P to the lake surface, could achieve a 25% reduction in lake-water TP concentrations and produce TP close to the target of 0.01 mg L-1.
Keywords
branched river; INCA-P; Lake Simcoe; management practices; phosphorus loading; water quality modelling
Published in
Inland Waters
2013, Volume: 3, number: 2, pages: 207-220
Publisher: FRESHWATER BIOLOGICAL ASSOC
Futter, Martyn
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
SLU Authors
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
SDG13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
UKÄ Subject classification
Other Biological Topics
Publication identifier
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5268/IW-3.2.520
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/53613