Modelling water quality

Educational value

• The benefits that ecosystems supply to humans are known as 'ecosystem services'. They include maintenance of clean water and fertile soil, pollination of plants, regulation of climate and removal of wastes. Many current environmental problems stem from the degradation of ecosystem services through unsustainable practices.
• If ecosystems are damaged, ecosystem services can be disrupted. Human activities such as over-harvesting of water, pollution, introduction of weeds or feral animals, deforestation or draining of wetlands can damage ecosystems. Compensating for the loss of ecosystem services by introducing artificial systems can be expensive.
• Computer models allow scientists to investigate how an ecosystem responds to changes. This allows them to study the effects of changes that would result in too much damage to study in a real ecosystem. In ecology, such models usually depend on the input of data from an array of sensors within the ecosystem.
• Professor David Hamilton is particularly interested in studying water quality in the lakes around Rotorua, New Zealand. These lakes are affected by algal blooms as a result of heavy nutrient loads from septic tanks and farmlands. Sensors in these lakes measure temperature, pH (acidity), dissolved oxygen and light levels, and computer models are used to evaluate possible management strategies.

Topics Ecosystems Water quality Computer simulations Environmental stewardship