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Trophic state index

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus, and other biologically useful nutrients are the primary determinants of a
lake's trophic state index (TSI). Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus tend to be limiting resources in
standing water bodies, so increased concentrations tend to result in increased plant growth, followed by
corollary increases in subsequent trophic levels. [1] Consequently, a lake's trophic index may sometimes be used
to make a rough estimate of its biological condition.[2] Although the term "trophic index" is commonly applied
to lakes, any surface water body may be indexed.

Contents
1 Carlson's Trophic State Index
1.1 Index Variables
2 Trophic Classifications
2.1 Oligotrophic
2.2 Mesotrophic
2.3 Eutrophic
2.4 Hypereutrophic
3 Trophic Index Drivers
4 Management Targets
5 See also
6 References

Carlson's Trophic State Index

Carlson's index is one of the more commonly used trophic indices, and is the trophic index used by the United
States Environmental Protection Agency.[2] The trophic state is defined as the total weight of biomass in a
given water body at the time of measurement. Because they are of public concern, the Carlson index uses the
algal biomass as an objective classifier of a lake or other water body's trophic status.[3] According to the US
EPA, the Carlson Index should only be used with lakes that have relatively few rooted plants and non-algal
turbidity sources. [2]

Index Variables
Because they tend to correlate, three independent variables can be used to calculate the Carlson Index:
chlorophyll pigments, total phosphorus and Secchi depth. Of these three, chlorophyll will probably yield the
most accurate measures, as it is the most accurate predictor of biomass. Phosphorus may be a more accurate of
a water body's summer trophic status than chlorophyll if the measurements are made during the winter. Finally,
the Secchi depth is probably the least accurate measure, but also the most affordable and expedient one.
Consequently, citizen monitoring programs and other volunteer or large-scale surveys will often use the Secchi
depth. By translating the Secchi transparency values to a log base 2 scale, each successive doubling of biomass
is represented as a whole integer index number.[4] The Secchi depth, which measures water transparency,
indicates the concentration of dissolved and particulate material in the water, which in turn can be used to

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derive the biomass. This relationship is expressed in the following equation:

where z = the depth at which the disk disappears,

I0 is the intensity of light striking the water's surface,
Iz is about 10% of I0 and is considered a constant,
kw is a coefficient for the attenuation of light by water and dissolved substances,
is treated as a constant with the units of square meters per milligram and
C is the concentration of particulate matter in units for milligrams per cubic meter.[3]

Trophic Classifications
A lake is usually classified as being in one of three possible classes: oligotrophic, mesotrophic or eutrophic.
Lakes with extreme trophic indices may also be considered hyperoligotrophic or hypereutrophic. The table
below demonstrates how the index values translate into trophic classes.
Relationships between Trophic Index (TI), chlorphyll (Chl), phosphorus (P, both micrograms per litre), Secchi
depth (SD, metres), and Trophic Class (after Carlson 1996[4])
TI

Chl

SD

Trophic Class

<3040

02.6

012

>84

Oligotrophic

4050

2.620

1224

42

Mesotrophic

5070

2056

2496

20.5

Eutrophic

70100+ 56155+ 96384+ 0.5<0.25 Hypereutrophic

Oligotrophic lakes generally host very little or no aquatic vegetation and are relatively clear, while eutrophic
lakes tend to host large quantities of organisms, including algal blooms. Each trophic class supports different
types of fish and other organisms, as well. If the algal biomass in a lake or other water body reaches too high a
concentration (say <80 TI), massive fish die-offs may occur as decomposing biomass deoxygenates the water.

Oligotrophic
An oligotrophic lake is a lake with low primary productivity, the result
of low nutrient content. These lakes have low algal production, and
consequently, often have very clear waters, with high drinking-water
quality. The bottom waters of such lakes typically have ample oxygen;
thus, such lakes often support many fish species, like lake trout, which
require cold, well-oxygenated waters. The oxygen content is likely to be
higher in deep lakes, owing to their larger hypolimnetic volume.
Ecologists use the term oligotrophic to distinguish unproductive lakes,
characterised by nutrient deficiency, from productive, eutrophic lakes,
with an ample or excessive nutrient supply. Oligotrophic lakes are most
common in cold regions underlain by resistant igneous rocks (especially

Kurtkowiec Lake, an oligotrophic

lake in the Tatra Mountains of
southern Poland

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granitic bedrock).

Mesotrophic
Mesotrophic lakes are lakes with an intermediate level of productivity, greater than oligotrophic lakes, but less
than eutrophic lakes. These lakes are commonly clear water lakes and ponds with beds of submerged aquatic
plants and medium levels of nutrients. Lake Pohjalampi is an example of a mesotrophic lake
The term mesotrophic is also applied to terrestrial habitats. Mesotrophic soils have moderate nutrient levels.

Eutrophic
A eutrophic body of water, commonly a lake or pond has high primary
productivity due to excessive nutrients and is subject to algal blooms
resulting in poor water quality. The bottom waters of such bodies are
commonly deficient in oxygen, ranging from hypoxic to anoxic.
Eutrophic waters commonly lack fish species like trout which require
cold, well-oxygenated waters. This oxygen deficiency is most apparent
in shallow lakes, owing to the smaller hypolimnetic volume. The process
of eutrophication may occur naturally or be the result of anthropogenic
influences. [5]
Eutrophic comes from the Greek eutrophos meaning well-nourished,
from eu meaning good and trephein meaning to nourish[6]

Hypereutrophic
Algal bloom in a village river in the
mountains near Chengdu, Sichuan,
Hypereutrophic lakes are very nutrient-rich lakes characterized by
China.
frequent and severe nuisance algal blooms and low transparency.
Hypereutrophic lakes are the most biologically productive lakes, and
support large amounts of plants, fish and other animals. Hypereutrophic lakes have a visibility depth of less than
3 feet, they have greater than 40 micrograms/litre total chlorophyll and greater than 100 micrograms/liter
phosphorus.

The excessive algal blooms can also significantly reduce oxygen levels and prevent life from functioning at
lower depths creating dead zones beneath the surface.
Likewise, large algal blooms can cause biodilution to occur, which is a decrease in the concentration of a
pollutant with an increase in trophic level. This is opposed to biomagnification and is due to a decreased
concentration from increased algal uptake.

Trophic Index Drivers

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Both natural and anthropogenic factors can influence a lake or other water body's Trophic Index. A water body
situated in a nutrient-rich region with high Net Primary Productivity may be naturally eutrophic. Nutrients
carried into water bodies from Non-point sources such as agricultural runoff, residential fertilisers, and sewage
will all increase the algal biomass, and can easily cause an oligotrophic lake to become hypereutrophic.

Management Targets
Often, the desired Trophic Index differs between stakeholders. Water-fowl enthusiasts (e.g. duck hunters) may
want a lake to be eutrophic so that it will support a large population of waterfowl. Residents, on the other hand,
may want the same lake to be oligotrophic, as this is more pleasant for swimming and boating. Natural Resource
agencies are generally responsible for reconciling these conflicting uses and determining what a water body's
trophic index should be.

See also
Biomass (ecology)
Eutrophication
Nonpoint source pollution
Secchi disk
Surface runoff
Trophic level
Trophic level index, a similar measure used in New Zealand
Water quality

References
1. ^ Note that this use of trophic levels refers to feeding dynamics, and has a much different meaning than a lake's
trophic index.
2. ^ a b c United States Environmental Protection Agency (2007) Carlson's Trophic State Index. Aquatic Biodiversity.
http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/aquatic/carlson.html accessed 17 February, 2008.
3. ^ a b Carlson, R.E. (1977) A trophic state index for lakes. Limnology and Oceanography. 22:2 361--369.
4. ^ a b Carlson R.E. and J. Simpson (1996) A Coordinator's Guide to Volunteer Lake Monitoring Methods. 'orth
American Lake Management Society. 96 pp.
5. ^ Campbell, Neil A.; Reece, Jane B. (2005). Biology. Benjamin Cummings. p. 1230 p. ISBN 0-8053-7146-X.
6. ^ Definition of eutrophic (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eutrophic) at dictionary.com.

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