A biogeochemical model of Link Lake

Abstract

Quantitative biogeochemical modelling is part of an overall effort to provide an integrated description of ecological systems within the framework of ecological engineering. It is a tool which can aid engineers and managers to simulate environmentalre mediation strategies, and which can provide an understanding of the dynamics of an ecosystem. The Rabbit Lake drainage basin will change with time with respect to contaminant and nutrient loading. The reason for the changes are the depletion of nutrient supply from the waste rock piles and the addition surface water flow from the decommissioned Rabbit Lake pit. These changes will affect the successional changes in the aquatic vegetation dominating the drainage basin. The aquatic vegetation control water quality in retaining both nutrients and contaminants within the drainage basin and through discharge. In planning best decommissioning options for the drainage basin it is necessary to integrate, optimize and engineer the natural ecological processes which will take place. If the natural changes which will take place are not defined, control of contaminant discharge from the basin is not possible. In order to understand these changes the main biogeochemical cycles in the Rabbit lake drainage basin are outlined based on the information the drainage basin gained during the study of the contaminant and nutrient cycling in Upper and Lower Link Lake. A biogeochemical model which is proposed to be developed aims to integrate all of the important biogeochemical cycles into a dynamic description capable of predicting concentrations of contaminants, other species, nutrients and algae.