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Features & Tools
Table of Contents
AQUATOX has been designed to be user-friendly and to provide maximum flexibility. Numerous features have been included to facilitate the modeling process, from model setup and data input, presentation and analysis of results, to easy export of results to spreadsheet programs for additional analysis.
Model setup
AQUATOX is designed to provide maximum control and flexibility in model setup.
- Windows-based (Windows 98, 2000, NT, or XP)
- Note: For optimal performance, Windows 2000 or XP is recommended.
- Intuitive study screens
- Control setup allows development of scenarios and management alternatives
- Option to run "control" vs. "perturbed" simulations to isolate effects of a given stressor
- No limits on length of simulation period
- Variable time step
- Modular design gives you control over choice of state variables
- The AQUATOX wizard helps guide you through the study setup.
AQUATOX has a flexible study setup
AQUATOX Study Overview
Data input
AQUATOX is designed to provide a realistic representation of aquatic ecosystems with a minimal amount of detailed site specific information or site calibration.
AQUATOX can accept input data in a wide variety of formats and sources.
Required input data
- loadings to the waterbody
- general site characteristics
- chemical characteristics of any organic toxicant
- biological characteristics of the plants and animals
AQUATOX comes bundled with data libraries that provide default data. This is of particular importance for the biological data, which are probably the most difficult for a user to obtain. We continue to add to these libraries to include parameters for more species of animals and plants and more chemicals.
You can now link to BASINS, EPA's GIS and water quality modeling system. This allows you to take pollutant loading predictions from the HSPF or SWAT watershed models and input them directly to AQUATOX.
Environmental loadings can be from multiple sources
- Constant or dynamic
- Point or nonpoint sources
- Upstream contributions
- Atmospheric deposition
Model output and analysis of results
AQUATOX provides output in terms of time varying biomass of the various plants and animal, chemical concentrations in water, and concentrations of the organic toxicant in water, organic sediments and biota. It has numerous features to assist in display and analysis of results.
- Graphing capability
- Easy export to spreadsheet programs
- You can now export your results to GenScn, a post-processing tool for time series data, when you use the linkage to BASINS.
- Option to save time varying rates, such as consumption, photosynthesis, and limitation factors on photosynthesis
- Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis capability
Graph and analyze your results easily
Uncertainty analysis
Assign Distribution to Variables
There are many sources of variability and uncertainty when modeling ecosystems. AQUATOX allows the user to evaluate model uncertainty by varying the value or distribution of input parameters, or to test the sensitivity of a given endpoint to specific inputs.
Sensitivity Analysis