PCLake+: an extended version of the lake water quality model PCLake

Article

The lake ecosystem model PCLake is a process-based model that was developed to simulate water quality based on ecological interactions in shallow, non-stratifying lakes in the temperate climate zone.

Here we present PCLake+, which extends the PCLake model to cover a wide range of freshwater lakes that differ in stratification regime and climate-related processes. To this end, the model was extended with a hypolimnion layer that can be invoked and configured by forcing functions or by simple built-in empirical relationships that impose stratifi-cation. Further adjustments to the original PCLake model have been made with respect to the calculation of 1) light irradiation in the water column, 2) evaporation processes and 3) phenology of macrophytes. The simulation output of PCLake+ for different types of lakes complies well with generally accepted limnological knowledge, thus holding promise for future contributions to ecological theory and application to lakes around the globe.

Authors

PBL Authors
Arthur Beusen Jasmijn Rost Aafke Schipper Jan Janse
Other authors
Annette Janssen
Sven Teurlincx
Laura Seelen
Wolf Mooij

Specifications

Publication title
PCLake+: A process-based ecological model to assess the trophic state of stratified and non-stratified freshwater lakes worldwide
Publication date
6 March 2019
Publication type
Article
Page count
9
Publication language
English
Magazine
Ecological Modelling
Issue
Volume 396, 24 March 2019, Pages 23-32
Product number
3671