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 (sea-grasses) 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. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.