*** Small-scale Study Report - see note under Supplemnentary Information ***

The primary aims of the EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) are to improve, maintain and restore good water quality for all water bodies by 2015 (Anon, 2005). Of critical importance to realising these aims is an understanding of aquatic ecological pressure-response relationships. Understanding ecological pressure-response relationships in freshwater ecosystems requires the analyses of long-term monitoring data, which is often absent or only covers relatively short timescales. Mathematical modelling provides a powerful means of examining long-term ecological pressureresponse relationships. Palaeolimnology, involving sediment-based proxies of environmental conditions, can also help elucidate long-term ecological pressures-response relationships and could potentially be used to validate modelled aquatic ecosystem pressures and responses.
Through a novel approach that integrates modelling and palaeolimnological techniques, an aquatic ecological response model (DYRESM-CAEDYM) was validated for Lough Mask, Co. Mayo. Hindcast daily simulations of in-lake responses (including nutrients, chlorophyll and phytoplankton) were produced and compared with sediment-based reconstructions of in-lake TP concentrations. Both the hindcast and sediment datasets compared well, highlighting the potential for sediment-based DI-TP to be used validation of hindcast in-lake TP concentrations. Furthermore, results indicate that sediment-based proxy data can also help explain model limitations, for example, mechanisms not incorporated in models.
Results from this small study demonstrated how a combined dynamic aquatic ecosystem modelling and palaeolimnological approach can provide valuable insight into aquatic pressures-responses relationships. This research also indicates that the effectiveness of the combined palaeolimnological and dynamic modelling approach is strongly dependent on the resolution of sediment-based data and, in general, relatively high and undisturbed rates of sedimentation are of key importance to the application of this approach. However, this study shows that even in the case of relatively low resolution palaeolimnological data the combined palaeolimnological and modelling approach can provide a useful means of verifying output from and exploring the limitations of aquatic ecological response models.

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Murnaghan, S.   "Modelling ecological pressures and responses in a calcareous lake". Associated datasets and digitial information objects connected to this resource are available at: Secure Archive For Environmental Research Data (SAFER) managed by Environmental Protection Agency Ireland https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/resource?id=0adfe6c4-7ce1-102d-b891-8d8f2407b579 (Last Accessed: 2024-09-19)

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SAFER-Data Display URL	https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/iso19115/display?isoID=157
Resource Keywords	Modelling ecological pressures lake
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Code	2008-SS-68
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Theme	Not Applicable
Resource Availability:	Public-Open
Limitations on the use of this Resource	Cite usage of this report.
Number of Attached Files (Publicly and Openly Available for Download):	1
Project Start Date	Tuesday 1st January 2008 (01-01-2008)
Earliest Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Wednesday 31st December 2008 (31-12-2008)
Most Recent Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Wednesday 31st December 2008 (31-12-2008)
Published on SAFER	Tuesday 9th March 2010 (09-03-2010)
Date of Last Edit	Tuesday 9th March 2010 at 15:24:14 (09-03-2010)
Datasets or Files Updated On	Tuesday 9th March 2010 at 15:24:14 (09-03-2010)

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Description of Geographical Characteristics of This Project or Dataset
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The following is a list of projects, datasets, and resources on SAFER-Data from which users downloaded attachments from soon after downloading attachments from this resource Modelling ecological pressures and responses in a calcareous lake. You can view the full description for projects, datasets, and resources by using the links supplied.

• Identification of refereNce-Status for Irish lake typoloGies using palaeolimnological metHods and Techniques (IN-SIGHT) View Full Metadata Description
• ILLUMINATE: Past, current and future Interactions between pressures, chemicaL status and bioLogical qUality eleMents for lakes IN contrAsting catchmenTs in IrEland View Full Metadata Description
• Anaerobic Digestion: Decision Support Software View Full Metadata Description
• Environmental Attitudes, Values and Behaviour in Ireland View Full Metadata Description
• Water Framework Directive: Recharge and Groundwater Vulnerability View Full Metadata Description

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