Relationships between nutrients and macroalgal biomass in a brazilian coastal lagoon: the impact of a lock construction

The Piratininga Lagoon is a coastal, choked, and brackish ecosystem in SE Brazil, where uncontrolled discharge of domestic sewage led to eutrophication, increasing massive proliferation of benthic macroalgae, and decrease of the lagoon mean depth. In 1992, a dam was constructed by the local Municipality at its tidal channel aiming at stabilising its water level. Main physico-chemical parameters, together with macroalgae biomass, nutrient concentrations in the water column, particulate organic carbon, and chlorophyll a were recorded monthly at 4 sampling stations within the Piratininga lagoon from April 1994 to April 1995. The data, compared with “before-lock” existing studies, show that nutrients and chlorophyll a concentrations significantly increased after the lock construction. Based on the functioning of the ecosystem, we propose to harvest the algal mats before their decomposition period in order to partly remove the nutrient stocks from the lagoon and the future ecosystem modelling to predict the impact of natural and anthropogenic eutrophication.     

Relationships between nutrients and macroalgal biomass in a brazilian coastal lagoon: the impact of a lock construction

The Piratininga Lagoon is a coastal, choked, and brackish ecosystem in SE Brazil, where uncontrolled discharge of domestic sewage led to eutrophication, increasing massive proliferation of benthic macroalgae, and decrease of the lagoon mean depth. In 1992, a dam was constructed by the local Municipality at its tidal channel aiming at stabilising its water level. Main physico-chemical parameters, together with macroalgae biomass, nutrient concentrations in the water column, particulate organic carbon, and chlorophyll a were recorded monthly at 4 sampling stations within the Piratininga lagoon from April 1994 to April 1995. The data, compared with “before-lock” existing studies, show that nutrients and chlorophyll a concentrations significantly increased after the lock construction. Based on the functioning of the ecosystem, we propose to harvest the algal mats before their decomposition period in order to partly remove the nutrient stocks from the lagoon and the future ecosystem modelling to predict the impact of natural and anthropogenic eutrophication.     

Spatio-temporal dissolved oxygen dynamics in the Orbetello lagoon by fuzzy pattern recognition

This paper models the dissolved oxygen (DO) dynamics in the Orbetello lagoon as a function of the physico-chemical and ecological system variables, including the submerged vegetation, nutrients, and hydrodynamics. It should be viewed as the concluding sequel to a previous paper describing the dynamics of the lagoon ecosystem [Giusti, E., Marsili-Libelli, S., 2006. An integrated model for the Orbetello lagoon ecosystem, Ecol. Model. 196, 379–394] by introducing the missing DO dynamics. The model considers the oxygen demand originating from the decay of carbonaceous and nitrogenous compounds, as well as photosynthesis and natural reaeration by winds and currents as the oxygen producing processes. With a fixed-parameter set the model could accurately reproduce each single circadian DO cycle, but in the long run it failed to extend this fit and could not accommodate the large DO fluctuations induced by the seasonal variability. In order to enhance the model flexibility, a fuzzy pattern recognition algorithm was designed to classify the circadian DO patterns into four typical behaviours, related to the season, and estimate the corresponding parameters, with the overall model output being a fuzzy combination of these sets. The paper discusses several methods to patch the parameter sets and compares their performance in tracking long-term DO variations. A final assessment of the model validity is obtained by incorporating the whole DO dynamics (model, fuzzy pattern recognition and parameter combination) into the general lagoon model and producing a consistently correct series of DO daily distributions over a yearly cycle. Thus the paper contains both a practical and a methodological aspect. The practical one is the linking of all the lagoon dynamics to the dissolved oxygen kinetics in order to clarify to what extent macroalgae and macrophytes influence the oxygen balance. The methodological aspect consists of extending the validity of short-term models to long time-horizons through a patching technique supported by fuzzy pattern recognition.     

Assessment of spatial distribution of submerged vegetation in the Orbetello lagoon by means of a mathematical model

Coastal lagoons are characterized by a constant threat of eutrophication and a critical coexistence of differing submerged vegetation forms. This paper investigates the competitive equilibrium of macroalgae and phanerogams in the Orbetello lagoon in relation to physico-chemical and environmental factors, including wind, nutrients in the water column, and sediment characteristics. A mathematical model describing the evolution of the submerged vegetation as a function of the abiotic parameters is used here in conjunction with specific experimental studies to explain the relationship between phanerogams (seagrasses) prairie expansion, water movements, and sediment characteristics. The combination of specific sediment sampling and mathematical modelling shows that water circulation and the state of the upper sediment are both dominant factors in determining the phanerogams distribution in the lagoon and the mutually exclusive growth of these groups in differing parts of the lagoon. Water currents control the distribution of floating macroalgae, resulting in an uneven accumulation of decomposing biomass and phanerogams seed dispersal. The oxygenation provided by the rooted phanerogams affects the sediment characteristics, making them suitable for further prairie expansion. In addition to sediment analysis the use of a mathematical model combining the hydrodynamics and the water quality of the lagoon provides a thorough explanation of the expansion of the rooted vegetation in critical areas. A further result of this research is the validation of the model, originally calibrated with the lagoon central stations’ data, with the newly acquired data from several other parts of the ecosystem. The model predictions are in good agreement with the field observations under a number of environmental conditions and explain the observed expansion trend of phanerogams, which are beneficial for the lagoon ecology, more thoroughly than by relying on the sediment observations alone.     

太湖沉水和浮叶植被及其水环境效应研究

运用GPS定位技术和常规采样方法,于2004年5月和9月对太湖沉水植物与浮叶植物的种类、群落类型、生物量及其水质状况进行了调查。结果表明:沉水植物与浮叶植物是太湖水生植被的主要类型,沉水植物群落类型主要有6个:微齿眼子菜群落;马来眼子菜群落;伊乐藻群落,穗花狐尾藻群落,金鱼藻群落,苦草群落;浮叶植物群落类型主要有3个:莕菜群落,金银莲花群落,菱群落。在春季,沉水植物占绝对优势,在夏秋季,浮叶植物则逐渐发展,尤其以莕菜生长最快。通过对有草区和无草区水质的比较,发现水生植被能显著提高水体的透明度、降低营养盐浓度和叶绿素含量,改善水质。     

Relating effect and response traits in submersed aquatic macrophytes.

Reliably predicting the consequences of short- or long-term changes in the environment is important as anthropogenic pressures are increasingly stressing the world's ecosystems. One approach is to examine the manner in which biota respond to changes in the environment ("response traits") and how biota, in turn, affect ecosystem processes ("effect traits"). I compared the response and effect traits of four submersed aquatic macrophytes to understand how water level management may affect wetland plant populations and ecosystem processes. I measured resource properties (nutrients in sediment and water), non-resource properties (pH, alkalinity, sediment temperature, oxygen production), and biotic properties (periphyton biomass) in replicated outdoor monocultures of Stuckenia pectinata, Potamogeton nodosus, P. crispus, and Zannichellia palustris. After seven weeks, three of eight replicates of each species treatment were subjected to a temporary water draw-down that desiccated aboveground plant parts. The four species differed in their effects on ecosystem properties associated with nutrient uptake and photosynthetic activity. Shoot growth rate was negatively correlated with light transmittance to the sediment surface whereas root growth rate and root:shoot ratio were correlated with a species' ability to deplete nutrients in sediment interstitial water. Occupation of space in the water column was correlated with water alkalinity and pH and with sediment temperature. Root growth rate was related simultaneously to species effects on sediment nutrient dynamics and recovery of ecosystem properties after water draw-down. This suggests that this morphological trait may be used to predict the effects of environmental change on ecosystem functioning within the context of water level management. Expanding these analyses to more species, different environmental stressors, and across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems should enhance predictions of the complex effects of global environmental change on ecosystem functioning.     

罗非鱼对富营养型水体中沉水植物苦草的影响

通过室外模拟实验,分别设置罗非鱼组和无鱼对照组的两组处理,研究了尼罗罗非鱼（Oreochromis niloticus）对富营养型水体中沉水植物苦草（Vallisneria spiralis）的影响。结果表明：罗非鱼显著地增加了水中总氮和总磷的质量浓度,同时浮游植物的生物量（叶绿素a）也明显增加;罗非鱼组中的附着藻类的生物量却显著低于无鱼的对照组;罗非鱼组中苦草的相对生长率为-10mg·g-1·d-1,显著低于对照组中苦草的相对生长率7mg·g-1·d-1。罗非鱼的直接牧食可能是苦草生物量降低的主要原因。研究说明,过高的罗非鱼密度会导致沉水植被退化,要保持沉水植被为优势的湖泊清水态,必须控制罗非鱼密度。     

Modeling the role of macroalgae in a shallow sub-estuary of Narragansett Bay, RI (USA)

Proliferation of macroalgal mats is a frequent consequence of nutrient-driven eutrophication in shallow, photic coastal marine ecosystems. These macroalgae have the potential to significantly modify water quality, plankton productivity, nutrient cycling, and dissolved oxygen dynamics. We developed a model for Ulva lactuca and Gracilaria tikvahiae in Greenwich Bay, RI (USA), a shallow sub-estuary of Narragansett Bay, as part of a larger estuarine ecosystem model. The model predicts the biomass of both species in units of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus as a function of primary production, respiration, grazing, decay, and physical exchange, with particular attention to the effects of biomass layering on light attenuation and suppression of metabolic rates. The model successfully reproduced the magnitude and seasonal cycle of area-weighted and peak biomass in Greenwich Bay along with tissue C:N ratios, and highlighted the importance of grazing and inclusion of self-limitation primarily in the form of self-shading to overcome an order of magnitude difference in rates of production and respiration. Inclusion of luxury nutrient uptake demonstrated the importance of internal nutrient storage in fueling production when nutrients are limiting. Macroalgae were predicted to contribute a small fraction of total system primary production and their removal had little effect on predicted water quality. Despite a lack of data for calibration and a fair amount of sensitivity to individual parameter values, which highlights the need for further autecological studies to constrain formulations, the model successfully predicted macroalgal biomass dynamics and their role in ecosystem functioning. Our formulations should be exportable to other temperate systems where macroalgae occur in abundance.     

Crustacean epifauna of seagrass and macroalgae in Apalachee Bay,Florida, USA

Epifaunal crustaceans on turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) and five dominant macroalgae (Anadyomene stellata, Digenia simplex, Halimeda incrassata, Laurencia poitei and Penicillus lamourouxii) were quantitatively sampled bimonthly over a one-year period from September 1979 to September 1980 in a subtropical seagrass meadow in Apalachee Bay, Florida (northeastern Gulf of Mexico). These plant species exhibited a wide range of morphologies, with surface area-to-biomass ratios differing by over 2.5 times. A similar suite of crustaceans occurred on all macrophytes despite differences in shape or architecture among plant species. Relative abundances of many crustaceans, however, varied among plant hosts. Similarity analysis indicated that the epifaunal associates of T. testudinum were distinct from those of the macroalgae. Species richness was generally higher on turtlegrass than on any of the macroalgae. Abundances of total crustaceans per plant biomass or per plant surface area, on the other hand, were greater on all macroalgal species compared to the seagrass. Abundances (per plant biomass or plant surface area) of 14 of the 16 numerically dominant epifaunal species differed significantly among macrophytes. Twelve of the 16 species had greater abundance on one or more macroalgae, while only two species were more abundant on T. testudinum. Almost half of the dominant species had greatest abundances on the branching red alga L. poitei. Although abundances per plant biomass and plant surface area were greater on macroalgae relative to turtlegrass, densities (individuals per meter square of bottom) of animals associated with T. testudinum were significantly greater than those associated with macroalgae, primarily because of the greater abundance of turtlegrass in the grass bed. Both surface area-to-biomass ratios and degree of branching were poorly correlated with epifaunal abundance and number of species. Neither structural feature is an adequate predictor of faunal abundance and species richness among plant species, especially when macrophytes with very different morphologies are compared.     

Nutrient fluxes at the landscape level and the R* rule

Nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems involves not only the vertical recycling of nutrients at specific locations in space, but also biologically driven horizontal fluxes between different areas of the landscape. This latter process can result in net accumulation of nutrients in some places and net losses in others. We examined the effects of such nutrient-concentrating fluxes on the R* rule, which predicts that the species that can survive in steady state at the lowest level of limiting resource, R*, can exclude all competing species. To study the R* rule in this context, we used a literature model of plant growth and nutrient cycling in which both nutrients and light may limit growth, with plants allocating carbon and nutrients between foliage and roots according to different strategies. We incorporated the assumption that biological processes may concentrate nutrients in some parts of the landscape. We assumed further that these processes draw nutrients from outside the zone of local recycling at a rate proportional to the local biomass density. Analysis showed that at sites where there is a sufficient biomass-dependent accumulation of nutrients, the plant species with the highest biomass production rates (roughly corresponding to the best competitors) do not reduce locally available nutrients to a minimum concentration level (that is, minimum R*), as expected from the R* rule, but instead maximize local nutrient concentration. These new results require broadening of our understanding of the relationships between nutrients and vegetation competition on the landscape level. The R* rule is replaced by a more complex criterion that varies across a landscape and reduces to the R* rule only under certain limiting conditions.     

Study of the nutrient and plankton dynamics in Lake Tanganyika using a reduced-gravity model

An eco-hydrodynamic (ECOH) model is proposed for Lake Tanganyika to study the plankton productivity. The hydrodynamic sub-model solves the non-linear, reduced-gravity equations in which wind is the dominant forcing. The ecological sub-model for the epilimnion comprises nutrients, primary production, phytoplankton biomass and zooplankton biomass. In the absence of significant terrestrial input of nutrients, the nutrient loss is compensated for by seasonal, wind-driven, turbulent entrainment of nutrient-rich hypolimnion water into the epilimnion, which gives rise to high plankton productivity twice in the year, during the transition between two seasons. Model simulations predict well the seasonal contrasts of the measured physical and ecological parameters. Numerical tests indicate that the half saturation constant for grazing by zooplankton and the fish predation rate on zooplankton affect the zooplankton biomass measurably more than that of phytoplankton biomass. This work has implications for the application of this model to predict the climatological biological productivity of Lake Tanganyika.     

Biotic habitat complexity controls species diversity and nutrient effects on net biomass production

Canopy-forming plants and algae commonly contribute to spatial variation in habitat complexity for associated organisms and thereby create a biotic patchiness of communities. In this study, we tested for interaction effects between biotic habitat complexity and resource availability on net biomass production and species diversity of understory macroalgae by factorial field manipulations of light, nutrients, and algal canopy cover in a subtidal rocky-shore community. Presence of algal canopy cover and/or artificial shadings limited net biomass production and facilitated species diversity. Artificial shadings reduced light to levels similar to those under canopy cover, and net biomass production was significantly and positively correlated to light availability. Considering the comparable and dependent experimental effects from shadings and canopy cover, the results strongly suggest that canopy cover controlled net biomass production and species diversity by limiting light and thereby limiting resource availability for community production. Canopy cover also controlled experimental nutrient effects by preventing a significant increase in net biomass production from nutrient enrichment recorded in ambient light (no shading). Changes in species diversity were mediated by changes in species dominance patterns and species evenness, where canopy cover and shadings facilitated slow-growing crust-forming species and suppressed spatial dominance by Fucus vesiculosus, which was the main contributor to net production of algal biomass. The demonstrated impacts of biotic habitat complexity on biomass production and local diversity contribute significantly to understanding the importance of functionally important species and biodiversity for ecosystem processes. In particular, this study demonstrates how loss of a dominant species and decreased habitat complexity change the response of the remaining assembly to resource loading. This is of potential significance for marine conservation since resource loading often promotes low habitat complexity and canopy species are among the first groups lost in degraded aquatic systems.     

Simulation of interrelations of the Everglades' marsh,peat, fire,water and phosphorus

Some of the principal controlling factors affecting the Everglades marsh system were combined in a simple model including growth of grass, water levels, rain, transpiration, peat deposition, fire and phosphorus and controlled inflow of water containing nutrients. Using data from published sources, coefficients were estimated and the model was simulated for several regimes, for varying concentrations of nutrient in the inflows and for varying access to fire. The resulting graphs resemble patterns reported from the Everglades, with some regimes producing regular repeating patterns and frequent small fires, whereas other regimes produced erratic and widely fluctuating patterns of vegetation, flood and fire. High phosphorus increased water loss by affecting plant transpiration: oscillations of vegetation and fire caused nutrient oscillations. Inflow of low nutrient water decreased nutrient levels by binding nutrients in plant masses. Continuous high water levels developed large accumulations of vegetation and peat, binding the nutrients, making larger fires when water levels were lowered. If this model is pertinent, a regular period of variation of water inflow and limited nutrients may be means for management of marshes for long range stability.     

Modelling algal blooms in the Dutch coastal waters by integrated numerical and fuzzy cellular automata approaches

In this paper, an integrated numerical and fuzzy cellular automata model was developed to predict possible algal blooms in Dutch coastal waters basing on the irradiance, nutrients and neighbourhood conditions. The numerical module used Delft3D-WAQ to compute the abiotic conditions, and fuzzy cellular automata approach was applied to predict the algal biomass that was indicated by chlorophyll a concentration. The simulated results of year 1995 were compared with that from BLOOM II model, and the advantages, disadvantages as well as future improvement were presented. In general, through this study, it is seen that the integrated modelling deserves more research inputs because: (1) the hydrodynamic processes and nutrients concentrations can be simulated in details by numerical method; (2) the irregular and sparse water quality and biological data, and the empirical knowledge from experts can be explored by the fuzzy logic technique; (3) the spatial heterogeneity, local interactions and the emerge of patchiness could be well captured through the cellular automata paradigm.     

Herbivore vs. nutrient control of marine primary producers: context-dependent effects

Pervasive overharvesting of consumers and anthropogenic nutrient loading are changing the strengths of top-down and bottom-up forces in ecosystems worldwide. Thus, identifying the relative and synergistic roles of these forces and how they differ across habitats, ecosystems, or primary-producer types is increasingly important for understanding how communities are structured. We used factorial meta-analysis of 54 field experiments that orthogonally manipulated herbivore pressure and nutrient loading to quantify consumer and nutrient effects on primary producers in benthic marine habitats. Across all experiments and producer types, herbivory and nutrient enrichment both significantly affected primary-producer abundance. They also interacted to create greater nutrient enrichment effects in the absence of herbivores, suggesting that loss of herbivores produces more dramatic effects of nutrient loading. Herbivores consistently had stronger effects than did nutrient enrichment for both tropical macroalgae and seagrasses. The strong effects of herbivory but limited effects of nutrient enrichment on tropical macroalgae suggest that suppression of herbivore populations has played a larger role than eutrophication in driving the phase shift from coral- to macroalgal-dominated reefs in many areas, especially the Caribbean. For temperate macroalgae and benthic microalgae, the effects of top-down and bottom-up forces varied as a function of the inherent productivity of the ecosystem. For these algal groups, nutrient enrichment appeared to have stronger effects in high- vs. low-productivity systems, while herbivores exerted a stronger top-down effect in low-productivity systems. Effects of herbivores vs. nutrients also varied among algal functional groups (crustose algae, upright macroalgae, and filamentous algae), within a functional group between temperate and tropical systems, and according to the metric used to measure producer abundance. These analyses suggest that human alteration of food webs and nutrient availability have significant effects on primary producers but that the effects vary among latitudes and primary producers, and with the inherent productivity of ecosystems.     

Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.) play a pivotal trophic role in enhancing Ruppia maritima

Coupled trophic-engineer interactions are potentially important for maintaining habitat function and ecosystem services. As ephemeral submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), Ruppia maritima has a short well-defined growth-senescence cycle and should benefit from any ecological interaction that enhances its physical condition and longevity. Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.) are abundant facultative grazers of epiphytic algae and conveyors of nutrients in tidal marsh and SAV habitats. Grass shrimp addition consistently enhanced Ruppia biomass and shoot density in a series of three field experiments conducted in Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA. In two experiments, epiphyte grazing by grass shrimp enhanced Ruppia by inhibiting die-back during the mid- and latter stages of the Ruppia life cycle. Despite a nonsignificant epiphyte grazing effect, grass shrimp also enhanced Ruppia during its early growth stage in a third experiment. In that experiment, nutrient addition also significantly increased epiphyte biomass. Grass shrimp may have fostered the early growth of Ruppia through direct deposition of feces to the sediment in the third experiment. Grass shrimp play a pivotal trophic role in the maintenance of Ruppia through context-dependent interactions involving stage of the SAV life cycle, season, and nutrient limitation.     

不同温度对沉水植物保护酶活性的影响

富营养化导致了湖泊沉水植被消亡,是我国众多湖泊存在的普遍现象.在富营养化未能有效控制的前提下,采用人工措施重建沉水植被,已被水环境工作者普遍关注.然而,受水体温度、透明度、营养盐以及适宜的物种等限制,沉水植被的有效重建面临诸多困难.本研究着眼于温度对沉水植被重建的影响,设置了5、10、15、25、30、35℃6个温度处理,在人工气候箱培养条件下,对黑藻Hydrilla verticillata和马来眼子菜Potamogeton malaianus在5 h、10h、14h和7d处理后的蛋白质含量、过氧化物酶(POD)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性进行了测试.同时考察了实验前后植物生物量积累的情况,比较了不同温度胁迫下,两种植物生物量的净积累与抗氧化酶活性和可溶性蛋白含量的关系,试图为沉水植被的恢复提供理论依据和经验借鉴.结果表明,25℃是两种植物生物量净积累的最佳温度,此温度下,各种酶活性和可溶性蛋白未随处理时间的延长而显著变化.高于或低于25℃的处理,生物量净积累显著下降.并且,表现为短期胁迫5～14h内,各种酶活性和可溶性蛋白随处理时间的延长呈上升或下降的趋势,7 d长期胁迫后上述指标均低于25℃处理.结果表明,25℃外,其它处理均不同程度受到了温度的胁迫.短期胁迫,各处理的酶活性和可溶性蛋白表现了激烈的响应,以清除和维持植物体内活性氧的平衡和植物细胞较低的渗透势,保持植物正常的代谢活动.随着胁迫时间的延续,抗氧化酶系统受损,可溶性蛋白降低,植物正常的代谢紊乱,最终导致实验结束时,各处理植物生物量的积累存在较大差异.     

初春苦草腐解过程中营养盐释放过程及规律

采用室内模拟方法研究初春温度条件下苦草在腐解过程中碳、氮和磷的释放过程,研究沉水植物衰亡过程中营养盐的释放规律.结果表明,在初春温度条件下,苦草迅速腐解,向水体释放大量碳、氮和磷.随着时间的推移,苦草向水体释放的磷大部分沉积进入底泥,而氮则是部分沉积进入底泥,部分以气体形式移出水体.苦草腐烂分解产生的厌氧条件和大量有机碳的供给促进了水体反硝化作用并加快氮素移出水体.较大的生物残留量会引起水体缺氧,同时产生大量营养盐,导致水质严重恶化,因此需要适时收割水生植物来控制水体残留生物量.     

Modeling approach to regime shifts of primary production in shallow coastal ecosystems

Pristine coastal shallow systems are usually dominated by extensive meadows of seagrass species, which are assumed to take advantage of nutrient supply from sediment. An increasing nutrient input is thought to favour phytoplankton, epiphytic microalgae, as well as opportunistic ephemeral macroalgae that coexist with seagrasses. The primary cause of shifts and succession in the macrophyte community is the increase of nutrient load to water; however, temperature plays also an important role. A competition model between rooted seagrass (Zostera marina), macroalgae (Ulva sp.), and phytoplankton has been developed to analyse the succession of primary producer communities in these systems. Successions of dominance states, with different resilience characteristics, are found when modifying the input of nutrients and the seasonal temperature and light intensity forcing.     

A water-quality model for the Lagoon of Venice,Italy

A water-quality model for the Lagoon of Venice is proposed. The model is based on the results of an existing, deterministic, hydraulic-dispersive model of the Lagoon to provide the distribution of salinity and residence time in the Lagoon of Venice. This model has been implemented by Magistrato alle Acque di Venezia and Consorzio Venezia Nuova to evaluate the environmental impact of the MOSE Project, that has the aim to defend the city of Venice from extraordinary high tides [CVN, 1997. Allegato allo studio di impatto ambientale del progetto di massima delle opere mobili per la difesa dei centri abitati lagunari dagli allagamenti, vol. 2., CVN, 2002. Studio di nuove configurazioni dei canali di bocca e del relativo adeguamento progettuale delle opere mobili alle bocche di porto].The water-quality is simulated by statistic analysis on water-quality data, monthly collected in 30 stations. The data-set covers a period of 2 years, and has been collected in the framework of MELa1, the institutional water-quality monitoring program (Magistrato alle Acque di Venezia, Consorzio Venezia Nuova). The Spearman correlation index of salinity and residence time versus the water-quality variables (nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and the trophic index TRIX) has been studied on a yearly average basis and for the spring–summer periods. The spatial distribution of the water-quality variables, based on the yearly average of nutrients, is mostly driven by the dispersive processes and is well correlated to salinity [Bianchi, F., Acri, F., Alberghi, M., Bastianini, M., Boldrin, A., Cavalloni, B., Cioce, F., Comaschi, A., Rabitti, S., Socal, G., Turchetto M.M., 1999. Biologocal variability in the Venice Lagoon. In: Lasserre, P., Marzollo, A. (Eds.), The Venice Lagoon Ecosystem. Input Interaction between Land and Sea, UNESCO, Man and Biosphere Series, vol. 25, pp. 97–125].The model has been applied to simulate the variation of nutrients and trophic index distribution in the Lagoon as a consequence of an increase of hydraulic dissipation at the Lagoon outlets.The work presented in this paper shows that, coupling a deterministic, distributed-parameters, dynamic, hydraulic-dispersive model to a statistic one that accounts for the correlation between hydraulic related forcing functions (salinity, residence time) and water-quality data is a promising and simple way to evaluate the water-quality of the Lagoon of Venice.Of course, this methodology is applicable because a very large data-set is now available.The usual limitations of the statistical model methodology are present in this application too. E.g., it cannot precisely estimate the values of the water-quality variables, but it can indicate how they react when the system hydrological features change. Besides, the outcomes depend strongly on site characteristics and on the actual ecosystem state.The model has not been validated yet, due to the short data time lag, but the aim of this work is to suggest a simple simulation tool whose reliability is at least the same of that obtained by complex, deterministic, dynamic water-quality models. These models, accounting for several processes and hence including a lot of parameters, require for calibration a much more detailed data-set not yet available.The increase of dissipation is altering nutrient concentrations in the Lagoon of an average +3.2%, while the average variation for TRIX is +0.4%, and for chlorophyll-a is +3.0%.These variations are small enough to confirm a posteriori the validity of the adopted statistical approach.