Simulation study on algal dynamics based on ecological flume experiment in Taihu Lake, China

The dynamic growth of algae is influenced by the inner physiological characteristics as well as the exterior stimulating factors, including light, temperature and nutrients. The suspended sediments release nutrients driven by hydrodynamic forces, imposing significant effects on algae growth. In this research, the mechanism of algae growth was studied, and an experiment on algae growth was conducted in an ecological flume using water and sediments collected from Taihu lake, an eutrophic lake in China, with three water current stages: still water stage, slow water current stage, and fast water current stage. Based on the experiment, a model was developed to quantitatively describe the relations between the release of nitrogen/phosphorous nutrients and the water flow velocity in nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. Detailed calibration and verification of the model parameters were carried out based on the results from experiments. The predicted values fit presented the results fitting well with the measured data, which indicates that the developed model can represent the dynamics of algae growth to a certain extent. This model has the potential for forecasting algal bloom in shallow, temperate lake systems.