On the summer peak of nutrient concentrations in lake water

Abstract

The nutrient concentrations of lake water are strongly influenced by both the combination of inflowing nutrients and those released from sediment in the lake. The former may be related to the nutrient concentration of the lake in winter, and the latter to the peak concentration in summer. This paper considers the problem of how the summer peak may be generated, using actual data from two lakes in Japan. By using a mathematical simulation it can be shown that the summer peak may be generated largely from nutrient materials released from sediment. Using this approach, release rates have been calculated for two lakes. The approach makes a prediction of water improvement due to sediment removal.