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Modifications of the AQUATOX Ecosystem Model for Application in the

Nearshore Marine Environment

Conference Paper · November 2015

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9 authors, including:

Eldon Blancher Richard A. Park

Moffatt & Nichol Eco Modeling
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Jonathan Clough Scott P. Milroy

Warren Pinnacle Consulting, Inc. University of Southern Mississippi
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 Accepted for Podium Presentation: SETAC 35th Annual Conference, November 1-5, 2015 Salt Lake City

Track:
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management

Session:
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management - General

Abstract Title:
Modifications of the AQUATOX Ecosystem Model for Application in the Nearshore
Marine Environment

Authors:
Eldon C. Blancher, II , Richard A. Park, Jonathan Clough, , Scott Milroy, Monty Graham, Chet Rakocinski,
Read Hendon, Jerry Wiggert and Robert Leaf.

Abstract:

The USEPA’s AQUATOX simulation model has been widely used to model the dynamics of
freshwater ecosystems. Inclusion of a salt-balance approach allowed the modeling of estuarine
systems with minimal data in versions 3.0 and 3.1. Recently the model has been expanded,
both in its analytical capabilities and in its application to coastal habitats. In this presentation
we describe how this latest AQUATOX model (version 3.1 NME) has been modified for data-rich
applications in the nearshore marine environment. These changes include the ability to
represent size classes of important fauna, especially oysters and crabs, and to extend
AQUATOX’s allometric submodels for the estimation of respiration and consumption rates in
selected invertebrates. Additional enhancements include 1) input of carbon:chlorophyll a ratios
to facilitate modeling different algal species, and 2) constructs for modeling complex predator-
prey dynamics, in which nearshore habitat heterogeneity may provide refugia for prey.
Simulated microhabitats include the complex marsh-water interface and the cryptic
microhabitats of oyster reefs, characterized by fractal dimensions, and burrows of various
depths in soft sediments. Model output has been expanded to cover a wide selection of
physiologic and ecologic endpoints including: daily growth rates, net primary and secondary
productivity (often expressed as annual sums), and dynamic trophic-level calculations for every
biotic group modeled. Risk assessment of environmental perturbations can be performed and
verified for representative nearshore marine habitats; the analyst can use graphical displays
and statistical analyses of model output and observed data to summarize overall biomass
impacts and to “drill down” to ascertain probable cause and effect relationships at the process
level.

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