[Response of the Water Quality of a Stratified Reservoir to an Extreme El Niño Event During Summer].

Global warming can intensify the El Niño phenomenon that recurs every 2-7 years, which will lead to a great interannual variability of climate and may induce the deterioration of the water quality of reservoirs. To study the influence of the extreme El Niño events on the water quality of stratified reservoirs during summer, field surveys were conducted in Zhoucun Reservoir and its inflow rivers from May to August in a normal year (2012) and a strong El Niño year (2015). Temporal variations of physical and chemical index were investigated during monitoring. The results showed that the Zhoucun Reservoir was stratified during the study period. The precipitation in the summer of the normal year was significantly higher than that in the El Niño year at the same period. In the summer of the normal year, the water level increased from 124.26 m to 127.14 m and the hypolimnion thickness increased by 3.1 m. However, in 2015, the rapid decrease of the water level from May to August (from 121.65 m to 119.46 m) led to the decrease of the hypolimnion thickness (by 3.2 m). The inflow rivers belonged to surface current and its nutrients concentrations were obviously higher than those in the epilimnion. The inflow nutrients loads increased significantly in the summer of the normal year, as a result, total nitrogen increased from 1.00 mg·L-1 to 2.06 mg·L-1, nitrate increased from 0.19 mg·L-1 to 1.28 mg·L-1, and total phosphorus increased from 0.023 mg·L-1 to 0.088 mg·L-1 in the lacustrine zone of the reservoir. In contrast, the nutrients concentrations changed little in the summer of the El Niño year due to the decrease in runoff. Nonetheless, the reducing pollutants concentrations of the hypolimnion in the El Niño year were significantly higher than those in the normal year, which may be due to the temporal variations of hypolimnion thicknesses. The maximum concentrations of iron, manganese, ammonium and sulfide in the summer of the El Niño year were 0.38, 1.36, 2.36 and 1.67 mg·L-1, respectively. All these index exceeded the standards for surface water Class Ⅲ. We conclude that the extreme El Niño event has an apparent influence on the nutrients concentrations in the epilimnion and the pollutants concentrations in the hypolimnion in Zhoucun Reservoir.

[Seasonal Stratification and the Response of Water Quality of a Temperate Reservoir--Zhoucun Reservoir in North of China].

In order to reveal the seasonal stratification and the response of water quality of a temperate reservoir Zhoucun Reservoir in North of China. The physical, chemical and phytoplankton indexes were continuously monitored from July 2014 to June 2015. The results showed that the thermal stratification was monomictic, which lasted from April to October. The thermal stratification played an important role in the change of water environment. The hypoxia in the bottom water caused hy thermal stratification led to the release of nutrients and reductants from sediment. During the stratification period, the mean concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, manganese and sulfide were 1.18, 0.11, 0.47 and 0.48 mg · L⁻¹, respectively. The vertical distribution of phytoplankton was significantly influenced by water temperature stratification. During the thermal stratification period, phytoplankton abundance was higher and the average phytoplankton ahundance was 16.35 x 106 cells · L⁻¹ in the upper water of the reservoir, while remained at low levels at the bottom.

The Variation Characteristic of Sulfides and VOSc in a Source Water Reservoir and Its Control Using a Water-Lifting Aerator.

Sulfides and volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSc) in water are not only malodorous but also toxic to humans and aquatic organisms. They cause serious deterioration in the ecological environment and pollute drinking water sources. In the present study, a source water reservoir--Zhoucun Reservoir in East China--was selected as the study site. Through a combination of field monitoring and in situ release experiments of sulfides, the characteristics of seasonal variation and distribution of sulfides and VOSc in the reservoir were studied, and the cause of the sulfide pollution was explained. The results show that sulfide pollution was quite severe in August and September 2014 in the Zhoucun Reservoir, with up to 1.59 mg·L(-1) of sulfides in the lower layer water. The main source of sulfides is endogenous pollution. VOSc concentration correlates very well with that of sulfides during the summer, with a peak VOSc concentration of 44.37 µg·L(-1). An installed water-lifting aeration system was shown to directly oxygenate the lower layer water, as well as mix water from the lower and the upper layers. Finally, the principle and results of controlling sulfides and VOSc in reservoirs using water-lifting aerators are clarified. Information about sulfides and VOSc fluctuation and control gained in this study may be applicable to similar reservoirs, and useful in practical water quality improvement and pollution prevention.