Abstract

BADELL, Gustavo; FLORES, Janett; RINCON, José  and  RUBIO, María. Computational simulation of duckweed population growth rate in Lake Maracaibo . Rev. Téc. Ing. Univ. Zulia [online]. 2008, vol.31, n.Especial, pp.41-49. ISSN 0254-0770.

The present work has the purpose of determining the zones of highest growth rate of Lemna sp (duckweed) in Lake Maracaibo using a hydrodynamic circulation model (MIKE 3), and a mathematical model to estimate the rate of growth of this aquatic plant. The proposed mathematical model is developed starting from a study on modeling duckweed growth as a function of nitrogen carried out by Landesman, affected additionally by phosphorus, salinity and temperature parameters. After fitting the mathematical model to lake conditions, it is introduced to the computational hydrodynamic model to simulate growth of duckweed from january to november, which comprises a dry and a rainy season, characteristic of the area. The results of the simulations are compared with images of the lake from the MODIS the satellite, showing similarities in the areas of higher growth of duckweed. Also an analysis month by month of the results is carried out, finding differences among the dry and rainy seasons; with an increase of the potential of growth of duckweed towards the rainy season in the Lake as well as in the strait of Maracaibo. 

Keywords : Duckweed; hydrodynamic model; computational simulation; Mike3; Lake Maracaibo.