Chapter 8
Water Quality and Ecosystem Modelling:
Practical Application on Lakes
and Reservoirs
Rafał Ula ´
nczyk, Bartosz Łozowski, Andrzej Wo´ znica, Damian Absalon,
and Agnieszka Kolada
Abstract Impacts of anthropogenic and other pressures on lakes and reservoirs are
often a subject of detailed analyses, which can be aimed, e.g. to identify causes of the
water quality deterioration or changes in ecosystems and to predict effects of projects
likely to have significant effects on the environment. Since the mid-nineteenth
century, such analyses were increasingly supported by an application of mathematical models, which are nowadays capable of 3-dimensional, high-resolution simulation of complex interactions in water bodies, including fluid dynamics, heat transfer
and biogeochemical reactions. Mathematical models, until recently perceived as an
innovative approach or a good practice, quickly became a legally required element
of water management procedures. This chapter presents five examples of the application of aquatic ecosystem models in Poland. Applications were selected in such a
way, as to represent various case studies differentiated not only by characteristics of
the water body and its catchment area but also by the goal of the model application.
Examples include reservoirs with the surface area ranging from 0.1 to 32 km
2 and
catchment areas ranging from 13 to more than 500 km
2 . Presented applications were
either a part of research projects or studies commissioned by local authorities. Aims
of presented studies include among others a presentation of real-time status of the
water body, analyses of impacts of reservoir and catchment management scenarios, an
R. Ula´ nczyk (B) · A. Kolada
Institute of Environmental Protection, National Research Institute, Krucza
5/11D, 00-548 Warsaw, Poland
e-mail: rafal.ulanczyk@ios.edu.pl
A. Kolada
e-mail: agnieszka.kolada@ios.edu.pl
B. Łozowski · A. Wo´ znica · D. Absalon
Silesian Water Centre, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Bankowa
Str. 9, 40-007 Katowice, Poland
e-mail: bartosz.lozowski@us.edu.pl
A. Wo´ znica
e-mail: andrzej.woznica@us.edu.pl
D. Absalon
e-mail: damian.absalon@us.edu.pl
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Zeleˇ náková et al. (eds.), Quality of Water Resources in Poland, Springer Water,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64892-3_8
173
Water Quality and Ecosystem Modelling:
Practical Application on Lakes
and Reservoirs
Rafał Ula ´
nczyk, Bartosz Łozowski, Andrzej Wo´ znica, Damian Absalon,
and Agnieszka Kolada
Abstract Impacts of anthropogenic and other pressures on lakes and reservoirs are
often a subject of detailed analyses, which can be aimed, e.g. to identify causes of the
water quality deterioration or changes in ecosystems and to predict effects of projects
likely to have significant effects on the environment. Since the mid-nineteenth
century, such analyses were increasingly supported by an application of mathematical models, which are nowadays capable of 3-dimensional, high-resolution simulation of complex interactions in water bodies, including fluid dynamics, heat transfer
and biogeochemical reactions. Mathematical models, until recently perceived as an
innovative approach or a good practice, quickly became a legally required element
of water management procedures. This chapter presents five examples of the application of aquatic ecosystem models in Poland. Applications were selected in such a
way, as to represent various case studies differentiated not only by characteristics of
the water body and its catchment area but also by the goal of the model application.
Examples include reservoirs with the surface area ranging from 0.1 to 32 km
2 and
catchment areas ranging from 13 to more than 500 km
2 . Presented applications were
either a part of research projects or studies commissioned by local authorities. Aims
of presented studies include among others a presentation of real-time status of the
water body, analyses of impacts of reservoir and catchment management scenarios, an
R. Ula´ nczyk (B) · A. Kolada
Institute of Environmental Protection, National Research Institute, Krucza
5/11D, 00-548 Warsaw, Poland
e-mail: rafal.ulanczyk@ios.edu.pl
A. Kolada
e-mail: agnieszka.kolada@ios.edu.pl
B. Łozowski · A. Wo´ znica · D. Absalon
Silesian Water Centre, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Bankowa
Str. 9, 40-007 Katowice, Poland
e-mail: bartosz.lozowski@us.edu.pl
A. Wo´ znica
e-mail: andrzej.woznica@us.edu.pl
D. Absalon
e-mail: damian.absalon@us.edu.pl
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Zeleˇ náková et al. (eds.), Quality of Water Resources in Poland, Springer Water,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64892-3_8
173