Do you need to build a lake model but aren’t sure where to start? Are you wondering whether it’s possible to accurately model phytoplankton and nutrient dynamics—such as internal phosphorus or nitrogen loading? And even if it is, how do you know which model is best suited to your project? If you’re looking for answers to any of these questions, this class is for you! This course is designed to help you understand what models are available, along with their capabilities and limitations. After an introduction to available modeling approaches, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers model CE-QUAL-W2 will be the focus of the class. I’ll guide you through the basic steps of building a CE-QUAL-W2 model and demonstrate key capabilities, with an emphasis on the functionalities most relevant to lakes and the practical considerations most important to limnologists and lake managers. The ultimate goal of this course is to help you make a clear “go/no-go” decision about whether to proceed with developing a CE-QUAL-W2 model. I’ll share examples from models I’ve built, discuss features I’ve found especially useful, identify monitoring needs to support model development, and highlight improvements I believe would be valuable in future model versions.
Presenter Keith Pilgrim has been building and using lake water quality models for over 25 years. He has built custom zero and one dimensional lake models that include hydrodynamics, nutrients, internal loading, phytoplankton and aquatic plants. He has been an extensive user of lake and reservoir models such as Delft 3D, DYRESM, ELCOM, AEM 3D, and CE-QUAL-W2.
Keith Pilgrim has been building and using lake water quality models for over 25 years. He has built custom zero and one dimensional lake models that include hydrodynamics, nutrients, internal loading, phytoplankton and aquatic plants. He has been an extensive user of lake and reservoir models such as Delft 3D, DYRESM, ELCOM, AEM 3D, and CE-QUAL-W2.