Lake Ecological Modelling
In 2016, MLA and MVCA approached Queen’s University to develop a project to investigate water quality concerns in Mississippi Lake. The project was launched in November 2017, with a final report submitted in February 2019. This was the first study of its kind in the area and has been very useful in broadening an understanding of how changes on the landscape may influence changes in the water. It will also better inform future watershed management and stewardship efforts.
The project consisted of collecting data from Mississippi Lake and its tributaries, and using advanced and well-established three-dimensional ecological modelling software to develop hydrodynamic and water quality models of the lake. This computer software is a powerful tool for simulating and understanding complex interactions within ecosystems. The coupled hydrodynamic and biogeochemical computer models have been used extensively by Canadian government agencies and consulting firms to guide environmental and resource policy and management.
The lake models were then used to determine nutrient distributions within the lake, and to understand and test nutrient dynamics and water quality response to several nutrient reduction strategies.
Read more about this successful project:
