ACPD Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ACPD 1680-7375 Copernicus GmbH Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/acpd-10-7779-2010 Impact of biomass burning on surface water quality in Southeast Asia through atmospheric deposition: eutrophication modeling Sundarambal P. 1 2 Tkalich P. 1 Balasubramanian R. 3 4 Tropical Marine Science Institute 14 Kent Ridge Road, National University of Singapore, 119223, Singapore Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Engineering Drive 1, 117576, Singapore Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Engineering Drive 1, 117576, Singapore Singapore Delft Water Alliance, National University of Singapore, Engineering Drive 1, 117576, Singapore 25 03 2010 10 3 7779 7818 This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/10/7779/2010/acpd-10-7779-2010.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/10/7779/2010/acpd-10-7779-2010.pdf

A numerical modeling approach is proposed for the assessment of the nutrient loading of coastal waters from atmospheric sources. The 3-D eutrophication model NEUTRO was enhanced to simulate the spatial distribution and temporal variations of nutrients, planktons and dissolved oxygen due to atmospheric nutrient loadings. It was found that nutrient loading from the atmospheric wet and dry deposition was remarkable during hazy days, the contribution being between 2 and 8 times that of non-hazy days; the smoke haze was due to biomass burning in the Southeast Asian region as discussed in a companion paper on field observations. Atmospheric nutrient loads during hazy days can lead to anthropogenic eutrophication and chemical contamination. The importance of regional smoke haze events in relation to non-hazy days to atmospheric nutrient deposition in terms of their biological responses in the coastal water of the Singapore region was investigated. The percentage increases of surface water nutrients due to atmospheric deposition during non-hazy and hazy days from seawater baseline were estimated. Model computations showed that atmospheric fluxes might account for up to 17–88% of total mass of nitrate nitrogen in the water column during hazy days and 4 to 24% during non-hazy days, which might be a relatively significant contribution into regional eutrophication. The results obtained from the modeling study could be used for a better understanding of the energy flow through the marine food web, exploring various possible scenarios concerning the atmospheric deposition of nutrients onto the coastal zone and studying their impacts on water quality.

 References Ambrose, B., Wool, T. A, and Martin, J. L.: The Water quality Analysis Simulation Program, WASP6, User Manual, US EPA, Athens, GA, 2001. Angelini, R. and Petrere, M.: A model for the plankton system of the Broa reservoir, São Carlos, Brazil, Ecol. Model, 126, 131–137, 2000. Antia, N., Harrison, P., and Oliveira, L.: The role of dissolved organic nitrogen in phytoplankton nutrition, cell biology and ecology, Phycologia, 30, 1–89, 1991. ASEAN: ASEAN State of the Environment 1995, Association of South-East Asian Nations, Unpublished Draft report, 1995. Balasubramanian, R., Victor, T., and Begum, R.: Impact of biomass burning on rainwater acidity and composition in Singapore, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 26881–26890, 1999. Balasubramanian, R., Victor, T., and Chun, N.: Chemical and statistical analysis of precipitation in Singapore, Water, Air, and Soil Poll., 130, 451–456, 2001. Beck, M. B.: System analysis in water quality management, in: Proceedings of a Symposium sponsored by the IAWPRC Specialist Group, Oxford-Pergama press, London, UK, 30~June–2~July~1987, 13–63, 1987. Cornell, S., Rendell, A., and Jickells, T.: Atmospheric inputs of dissolved organic nitrogen to the oceans, Nature, 376, 243–246, 1995. Chan, E. S., Tkalich, P., Gin, K. Y. H., and Obbard, J. P.: The physical oceanography of Singapore coastal waters and its implications for oil spills, in: The Environment in Asia Pacific Harbours, Chapter 23, edited by: Wolanski, E., Springer, Netherlands, 393–412, 2006. Chapra, S. C.: Surface Water Quality Modeling, McGraw-Hill Publishers, Inc, New York, 844 pp., 1997. De Leeuw, G., Spokes, L., Jickells, T. D., Skjoth, A. C., Hertel, O., Vignatic, E., Tamme, S., Schulze, M., Sorensen, L. L., Pedersen, B., Klein, L., and Schlunzen, K. H.: Atmospheric nitrogen inputs into the North Sea: effect on productivity, Cont. Shelf Res., 23, 1743–1755, 2003. Ditmars, J. D.: Performance Evaluation of Surface Water Transport and Dispersion Models, J. Environ. Eng.-ASCE, 113(EE8), 961–971, 1988. % DOE: Department Of Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources and %Environment, Malaysia, URL: http://www.doe.gov.my/\blackbox\bf last access?. Duce, R. A., Liss, P. S., Merrill, J. T., Atlas, E. L., Buat-Menard, P., Hicks, B. B., Miller, J. M., Prospero, J. M., Arimoto, R., Church, T. M., Ellis, W., Galloway, J. N., Hansen, L., Jickells, T. D., Knap, A. H., Reinhardt, K. H., Schneider, B., Soudine, A., Tokos, J. J., Tsunogai, S., Wollast, R., and Zhou, M.: The atmospheric input of trace species to the world ocean, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 5, 193–259, 1991. Duce, R. A., LaRoche, J., Altieri, K., Arrigo, K. R., Baker, A. R., Capone, D. G., Cornell, S., Dentener, F., Galloway, J., Ganeshram, R. S., Geider, R. J., Jickells, T., Kuypers, M. M., Langlois, R., Liss, P. S., Liu, S. M., Middelburg, J. J., Moore, C. M., Nickovic, S., Oschlies, A., Pedersen, T., Prospero, J., Schlitzer, R., Seitzinger, S., Sorensen, L. L., Uematsu, M., Ulloa, O., Voss, M., Ward, B., and Zamora, L.: Impacts of atmospheric anthropogenic nitrogen on the open ocean, Science, 320(5878), 893–897, 2008. Herut, B., Krom, M. D., Pan, G., and Mortimer, R.: Atmospheric input of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Southeast Mediterranean: sources, fluxes, and possible impact, Limnol. Oceanogr., 44, 1683–1692, 1999. Herut, B., Collier, R., and Krom, M.: The role of dust in supplying nitrogen and phosphorus to the Southeast Mediterranean, Limnol. Oceanogr., 47, 870–878, 2002. Jickells, T.: Atmospheric inputs of metals and nutrients to the oceans: Their magnitude and effects, Mar. Chem., 48, 199–214, 1995. Jickells, T. D.: Nutrient biogeochemistry of the coastal zone, Science, 281, 217–222, 1998. Karthikeyan, S., He, J., Sundarambal, P., Balasubramanian, R., and Burger, D.: Determination of total nitrogen in atmospheric wet and dry deposition samples, Talanta, 77(3), 979–984, 2009. Markaki, Z., Oikonomou, K., Kocak, M., Kouvarakis, G., Chaniotaki, A., Kubilay, N., and Mihalopoulos, N.: Atmospheric deposition of inorganic phosphorus in the Levantine Basin, eastern Mediterranean: spatial and temporal variability and its role in seawater productivity, Limnol. Oceanogr., 48, 1557–1568, 2003. Muraleedharan, T. R., Rajojevic, M., Waugh A., and Caruana, A.: Chemical characteristics of haze in Brunei Darussalam during the 1998 episode, Atmos. Environ., 34, 2725–2731, 2000. NEA: National Environment Agency, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Singapore, online available: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/images/Regional_PSI_for_2006.pdf, 2010. Nixon, S. W.: Coastal marine eutrophication: A definition, social causes, and future concerns, Ophelia, 41, 199–219, 1995. Orlob, G. T: Mathematical modelling of water quality: streams, lakes and reservoirs, Wiley, Chichester, UK, 518 pp., 1983. Owens, N. J. P., Galloway, J. N., and Duce, R. A.: Episodic atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the oligotrophic oceans, Nature, 357, 397–399, 1992. Paerl, H. W.: Coastal eutrophication in relation to atmospheric nitrogen deposition: Current perspectives, Ophelia, 41, 237–259, 1995. Paerl, H. W.: Coastal eutrophication and harmful algal blooms importance of atmospheric deposition and groundwater as new nitrogen and other nutrient sources, Limnol. Oceanogr., 42(5/2), 1154–1165, 1997. Paerl, H. W., Boynton, W. R., Dennis, R. L., Driscoll, C. T., Greening, H. S., Kremer, J. N., Rabalais, N. N., and Seitzinger, S. P.: Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen in coastal waters: biogeochemical and ecological implications, in: Nitrogen Loading in Coastal Water Bodies: An Atmospheric Perspective. Coastal and Estuarine Studies 57, edited by: Valigura, R. A., Alexander, R. B., Castro, M. S., Meyers, T. P., Paerl, H. W., Stacey, P. E. and Turner, R. E., AGU Press, Washington, DC, 11–52, 2000. Pang, W. C., Tkalich, P., and Chan, E. S.: Hydrodynamic forecast model for the Singapore Straits, in: Proceedings of the XXX IAHR Congress, Thessaloniki, Greece, 24–29~August~2003, 9–16, 2003. Pang, W. C. and Tkalich, P.: Modeling tidal and monsoon driven currents in the Singapore Strait, Singapore Maritime and Port Journal, 151–162, 2003. Pang, W. C. and Tkalich, P.: Semi-Implicit Sigma-Coordinate Hydrodynamic Model, in: Proceedings of 14th IAHR-APD Congress, Hong Kong, 15–18~December, 2004. Peierls, B. L. and Paerl, H. W.: The bioavailability of atmospheric organic nitrogen deposition to coastal phytoplankton, Limnol. Oceanogr., 42, 1819–1880, 1997. Prospero, J. M., Barrett, K., Church, T., Dentener, F., Duce, R. A., Galloway, J. N., Levy II, H., Moody, J., and Quinn, P.: Atmospheric deposition of nutrients to the North Atlantic Basin, Biogeochemistry, 35(1), 27–73, 1996. Smetacek, V., Bathmann, U., Nothig, E. M., and Scharek, R.: Coastal eutrophication: Causes and consequences, in: Ocean Margin processes in Global Change, edited by: Mantoura, R. C. F., Martin, J. M., and Wollast, R., John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 251–279, 1991. Spokes, L., Jickells, T., Rendell, A., Schulz, M., Rebers, A., Dannecker, W., Krueger, O., Leermakers, M., and Baeyens, W.: High Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition Events Over the North Sea, Mar. Pollut. Bull., 26, 698–703, 1993. Spokes, L. J., Yeatman, S. G., Cornell, S. E., and Jickells, T. D.: Nitrogen deposition to the eastern Atlantic Ocean: The importance of south-easterly now, Tellus, 52B, 37–49, 2000. Sundarambal, P. and Tkalich, P.: Assessment of accidental nutrient spills from ships into the Singapore marine environment, in: Proceedings of Asia Oceania Geosciences Society 2nd Meeting, Singapore, 20–24~June, 2005. Sundarambal, P., Balasubramanian, R., Karthikeyan S., and Tkalich, P.: Atmospheric deposition of nutrients and its role on coastal eutrophication in Southeast Asia, in: Advances in Geosciences, Vol. 9: Solid Earth, Ocean Science & Atmospheric Science, edited by: Yun-Tai Chen, World Scientific Publishing Company, Singapore, 149–166, 2006. Sundarambal, P., Dao, M. H., and Tkalich, P.: Modeling of hydrodynamic and water quality processes in coastal zones, in: Proceedings of International Conference on Marine Problems and Specific Solutions (COMPASS) 2008, 15–18~June, Maldives, 2008. Sundarambal, P., Balasubramanian, R., and Tkalich, P.: Atmospheric fluxes of nutrients onto Singapore Strait, Water Sci. and Technol., 59(11), 2287–2295, 2009. Sundarambal, P., Tkalich, P., and Balasubramanian, R.: Modelling the effect of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on marine phytoplankton in the Singapore Strait, Water Sci. Technol., 61(4), 859–867, 2010. Thomann, R. V. and Muller, J. A.: Principles of surface water quality modelling and control, Harper and Row, Newyork, 1987. Tkalich, P., Pang, W. C., and Sundarambal, P.: Hydrodynamics and eutrophication modelling for Singapore Straits, in: Proceedings of 7th Workshop on Ocean Models for the APEC Region (WOM-7), Singapore, 5-1–5-9, 2002. Tkalich, P. and Sudarambal, P.: Eutrophication modelling for the Singapore waters, Singapore Maritime and Port Journal, 122–136, 2003. Van Dolah, F. M., Roelke, D., and Greene, R. M.: Health and ecological impacts of harmful algal blooms: Risk assessment needs, Hum. Ecol. Risk Assess., 7, 1329–1345, 2001.