Management and
Restoration
Lake Okareka, Rotorua
Lakes District |
Environment Bay of Plenty (EBOP)
has made a major commitment to restoration of water quality of the Rotorua Lakes
through establishment of the Chair in Lakes Management and Restoration, based in
Biological Sciences at the University of Waikato. A variety of student and
collaborative projects is funded through the EBOP initiative. The overall aim
of projects supported by EBOP is to provide the scientific basis to support for informed
management decision making by EBOP, in consultation with Iwi and the community.
For further information:
David Hamilton (Chair),
Paul Dell (EBOP)
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Bloom of Microcystis aeruginosa (Cyanobacteria) |
This research includes several different aspects of the dynamics of cyanobacteria and other bloom-forming algae, including buoyancy/vertical
migration, and N-fixation by heterocystous species. It also includes more
general phytoplankton studies to examine how phytoplankton species composition
and biomass are influenced by physico-chemical conditions in lakes, as well as
conceptual and numerical modeling of phytoplankton dynamics.
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Students
Models
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CAEDYM water quality model |
A suite of models, available through the Centre for Water Research at the
University of Western Australia has
been developed and applied to examine specific processes and basin scale
dynamics in lakes. Processes of specific interest for modeling include
bloom-forming algae, nitrogen dynamics (specifically nitrogen fixation and
denitrification), benthic-pelagic coupling and the trophic cascade.
DYRESM-CAEDYM (coupled hydrodynamic-ecological model) is used for vertical
resolution of temperature and ecological variables while ELCOM-CAEDYM is used
for 3-D modeling of lakes and estuaries.
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Students
Models
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Sediment resuspension, Lake Waihola, Otago |
Benthic-pelagic coupling is integral to water column composition and
function. In shallow lakes sediment resuspension can be highly important
in altering dynamics of nutrients and benthic-pelagic production. In
deeper lakes, changes in redox status with density stratification and oxygen
depletion may drive changes in water column nutrients and metals (e.f. Fe, Mn).
The focus of this research is the coupling of process studies (e.g.
denitrification, benthic chamber deployments) with models of lake-wide
concentrations.
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Students
Resuspension Model Enquiry
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Ice cover (just 9 days) in Lake Menona, 2002
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This research focuses on the development of an
ice-cover version of the hydrodynamic model DYRESM, and its application in
examining climate change impacts on ice cover and thermal stratification in the
lakes in North America. This is a collaborative project with the
Centre for Limnology, University of
Wisconsin, who are using 7 lakes in Wisconsin to provide indicators of
long-term changes in climate. Extensions of this research to examine
climate change impacts on the Rotorua lakes are planned.
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Students
Models
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