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Modeling Sediment-Nutrient Flux and Sediment Oxygen Demand
This project builds upon previous advances in modeling bottom sediment processes in eutrophication models. It develops algorithms for: 1) simulating processes responsible for nitrogen (nitrate, ammonium, organic-N) and carbon transformation and cycling (organic-N and methane ) in bottom sediments of natural channels and lakes, and 2) for simulating the sediment oxygen demand (SOD) exerted by the decay of organic matter and chemical oxidation in the sediments. The production of methane in gaseous and solution phases within the sediments and migration toward the water column is also emphasized. The algorithms relate particulate organic matter (POM) loading rate to sediment fluxes of ammonia, nitrate, methane, and SOD mechanistically, thus allowing for direct prediction of the impact of alternative management measures aiming at controlling nutrient inputs to streams and lakes. The sediment-flux model constitutes a component module that can be integrated to surface water quality models to simulate the dynamic interaction between bottom sediments and the water column.
Contact: Mohamed M. Hantush, USEPA, (EIMS#80840)