Eutrophication in shallow lakes investigated by an interdisciplinary approach with physical, chemical and biological studies

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20432
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 63010:Environmental dynamic analysis-related
• Research Institution: Ibaraki University
• Principal Investigator: Masunaga Eiji 茨城大学, 地球・地域環境共創機構, 助教 (90779696)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 湖沼 / 貧酸素 / 混合 / 栄養塩 / 霞ヶ浦

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Eutrophication in lakes and reservoirs is pressing issue to improve water quality control and sustainable usage of water in world wide. Phosphoric is a major nutrient in lakes as well as nutrient and is released from lake sediments under hypoxic (low oxygen) conditions. However, nutrient supplies in lakes have not been understood well due to a lack of understanding formation processes of oxygen distributions. This study focused on physical processes associated with eutrophication and investigated water environments in Lake Kasumigaura, Japan, by an interdisciplinary approach with physical, chemical and biological studies.

Free Research Field

陸水・海洋物理

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では，これまで解析が進んでいなかった小スケールの乱流や波動現象を直接観測し，これらの計測技術と化学・生態系プロセスに精通する研究協力者と連携して栄養塩の動態を解明する点に学術的意義がある．世界の多くの湖沼やため池における富栄養化や水質汚濁は大きな問題となっており，解決策を立てるためにこれらの現象に関わる物理・生態構造の把握が急務となっている．本研究から明らかにした霞ヶ浦における貧酸素水動態や関連する現象は，本研究をケーススタディとして富栄養化が進む世界各国の湖沼での富栄養化対策モデルを提供し，世界規模で問題となっている浅水域の環境改善に貢献できる．