Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1998 16:55:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Changsheng Chen <chen@whale.marsci.uga.edu>
To: eegle-kites@wings.glerl.noaa.gov
Subject: Food Chain Model
X-Attachments: ../projects/p13/foodchain1.gif
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Attached please find a schematic of the low-trophic food chain model my
posdoc and I just made for Lake of Michigan. Before we develop a 
math equation for this model, we want to receive comments and 
correction (I am sure certainly somethings may be wrong). Please
help us to check if this is a correct food chain for the Lake of
Michigan. I never do any works in Great Lakes, and all of you are
experts, so any helps and critisms would be greatly appeciated.

Please let me know if
you can not read this file or just provide your fax number, so
I can fax it to you.

Thanks.

Chen
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Questions:

(1) We are not sure if we get the function of bacteria correct in this food web 
chain? If this is wrong, please provide the correction and also explanation. 

(2) We add the sediment in the chain, we think sediment can directly contribute 
to P and S through the resuspension. However, we are not sure if our understanding 
is correct, please give your comments. 

(3) We didn't include the NO3 in the model. This is based on our assumption that NO3 
is always enough in the lake, which would not directly affect the food chain. However, 
we are not sure if our assumption is correct. Please comment it.  

(4) We know that bacteria comes from detritus but we don't know what processes make 
it happens, so we use the word "decomposition" in general. Please make a correction 
if you don't think it is right and also provide the explanation.  

(5) We learned that silicate is taken almost by diatom rather than flagellate. We want 
to use the silicate as a controlling parameter for the growth rate of large 
phytoplankton. Do you think it is a reasonable approach? 

(6) We learned from previous modeling studies that people like to add all NO3, P, and 
S together and just determine the growth rate using the minimum value of these three 
individual growth rates. Do you know the reason for doing it?

After we receive comments and suggestions from all of you, we will modified this chain 
again and send you requests for the biological parameters which need to run this model.
Please provide your comments as soon as possible.  

Thanks.
Changsheng Chen
University of Georgia
Fax number: 706-542-5888