Water column

As a water column - primarily for illustrative or exemplary representations - a delimited water bodies from the surface of a body of water called up to the bottom sediments. With descriptive and illustrative methods, the physical, chemical and biological conditions and processes in this water body are identified. On direct way an actual water column is shown, in particular with their transition into the sediment zone, such as the interactions in river floodplains.

In the descriptive representation of a water column, such as streams, rivers, lakes or in the sea, are physical characteristics, such as temperature, turbidity, density and salinity, chemical characteristics, such as pH, nutrient and contaminant levels and biological parameters, such as incidence of micro-organisms and macro-organisms used. At the water column model exemplary calculations of the vertical physical exchange processes are possible, in which also the meteorological influences can be included at the water surface (wind, sunlight). These exchanges and temperature changes (mainly plankton) further calculated a model for their effect on the microorganisms. In comparison with measurement results realistic calculation methods have been developed that could be developed from this first spatially limited water body to become multi-dimensional model systems.

The development of three-dimensional ecosystem models makes it possible influences replicate and predict developments, including influences from climate change. With such a model, the seasonal development of zooplankton population has been modeled realistically in the North Sea, for example.