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Mathematical Models: What are they and how are they used?
Mathematical models (computer programs) are quantitative tools commonly used by water quality managers. These tools are used to protect and/or reclaim lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. These quantitative tools, integrating many components, when properly calibrated and verified, form a holistic and sound representation of the ecosystem to which they are applied. They can be used by both water quality managers and researchers to better understand how various components (internal and external to the system) interact. They can apply this understanding to protecting or reducing the impact of external forcing functions (including cultural influences, exotic species introduction) to the systems. They might also test various scenarios to determine the most effective (both in cost and benefit) means to improve the water quality of an already impacted system.
 Mathematical models are quantitative frameworks that accommodate ambient environmental forcing conditions and internal processes in a theoretically sound way and simulate parameters of interest. Reliable models accurately simulate observed conditions over a wide range of forcing conditions. Such models represent invaluable management tools, as they can be used to evaluate the feasibility of reaching specified water quality goals, and specific management options to reach these goals. Hydrodynamic processes are critical in regulating the transport and distribution of pollutants in reservoirs. Temperature strongly influences reaction rates, and temperature variations affect water motion. However, more often the hydrothermal/hydrodynamic concerns are related to the manner in which these physical processes mediate the transport and distribution of selected pollutants. Thus hydrothermal/hydrodynamic models commonly serve as submodels for water quality models.
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