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INSIGHT, May '01 Edition
PAMOLARE 2L: Numerical Model on
Eutrophication Launched in Argentina Degradation of water quality in freshwater bodies, such as lakes and reservoirs, occurs for a number of reasons, eutrophication being a primary cause. Eutrophication is a process in which freshwater bodies change characteristics due to enrichment by nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorous. These nutrients originate from agricultural activities and urban and industrial sewage. To forecast eutrophication is not an easy task, as there are many variables involved in the process, including wind, water circulation and turbulence, concentrations of phosphorous and nitrogen, and temperature. Various efforts have been made to model natural processes, particularly eutrophication, due to the serious economic and environmental problems that result from water bodies becoming eutrophied. In cooperation with the International Lake Environment Committee Foundation, the University of Kyoto, and the Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, IETC has developed a simple and user-friendly mathematical model for PCs that can predict changes in lakes and reservoirs, by taking into consideration the characteristics, changes and nutrient loading of water bodies. The model, PAMOLARE 2L, is a project of “Planning and Management of Lakes and Reservoirs focusing on Eutrophication;” 2L refers to its two-layer modeling approach. The PAMOLARE 2L, together with two other simpler models, were included in the “Training Package on Eutrophication Management” launched for the first time at the “3rd International Workshop on Regional Approaches for the Development and Management of Reservoirs in the La Plata Basin,” held in Posadas, Argentina, in April. Forty-four national experts from Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina attended the 3-day training course. The Package will soon be available from IETC.
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