Estimating food consumption rates of fish using a mercury mass balance model

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 414-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Trudel ◽  
Alain Tremblay ◽  
Roger Schetagne ◽  
Joseph B Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Energy Requirement ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Mass Balance Model ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Consumption Rates ◽  
Using Data

We present a simple method for estimating food consumption rates of fish in the field based on a mercury (Hg) mass balance model. This method requires the determination of fish age, size, and growth and Hg concentration in fish and their food. The model was validated using data obtained from a previously published laboratory experiment. A field test of the model showed that food consumption rates determined with the Hg mass balance model differed from independent estimates obtained with the 137Cs method by only 0.6-16.1%. The model was applied to fish from various lakes in Quebec and Ontario. Food consumption rates estimated with the Hg mass balance model varied significantly both among species and among populations. Furthermore, female fish tended to eat 30-40% more food than males, probably to meet the larger energy requirement associated with egg production. A sensitivity analysis indicated that the Hg mass balance model was mostly responsive to variables that can be easily measured in the field, such as fish size and Hg concentration in fish and their food. By providing a low-effort approach to quantifying food consumption rates of fish in the field, this method may help to refine our understanding of the environmental factors that influence the quantity of food consumed by fish.

Erratum: Estimating food consumption rates of fish using a mercury mass balance model

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Trudel ◽  
Alain Tremblay ◽  
Roger Schetagne ◽  
Joseph B Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Mass Balance Model ◽  
Consumption Rates

scholarly journals Variability of residual chlorine in swimming pool water and determination of chlorine consumption for maintaining hygienic safety of bathers with a simple mass balance model

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-236
Author(s):  
Alvyn P. Berg ◽  
Ting-An Fang ◽  
Hao L. Tang
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Water Disinfection ◽  
Swimming Pool ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Residual Chlorine ◽  
Trial And Error ◽  
Mass Balance Model ◽  
Pool Water ◽  
Swimming Pool Water

Abstract Trial-and-error chlorination as a conventional practice for swimming pool water disinfection may fail to consistently maintain the pool's residual chlorine within regulatory limits. This study explored the variability of residual chlorine and other common water quality parameters of two sample swimming pools and examined the potential of using a mass balance model for proactive determination of chlorine consumption to better secure the hygienic safety of bathers. A lightly loaded Pool 1 with a normalized bather load of 0.038 bather/m3/day and a heavily loaded Pool 2 with a normalized bather load of 0.36 bather/m3/day showed great variances in residual free and combined chlorine control by trial-and-error methods due to dynamic pool uses. A mass balance model based on chemical and physical chlorine consumption mechanisms was found to be statistically valid using field data obtained from Pool 1. The chlorine consumption per capita coefficient was determined to be 4120 mg/bather. The predictive method based on chlorine demand has a potential to be used as a complementary approach to the existing trial-and-error chlorination practices for swimming pool water disinfection. The research is useful for pool maintenance to proactively determine the required chlorine dosage for compliance of pool regulations.

Determination of sources of fine particles in different ambient atmospheres in South Korea using a chemical mass balance model

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-58
Author(s):  
Wajih Ur Rehman ◽  
Minhan Park ◽  
Jihyo Chong ◽  
Kwangyul Lee ◽  
Jiho Jang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Fine Particles ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Chemical Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balance Model ◽  
Chemical Mass Balance Model

Bioenergetics and mercury dynamics in fish: a modelling perspective

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 1890-1902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Trudel ◽  
Joseph B Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Mercury Concentration ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Mass Balance Model ◽  
Fish Size ◽  
Mercury In Fish ◽  
Consumption Rates ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Activity Costs

The concentration of mercury in fish generally increases with age and size. Although a number of hypotheses have been invoked to explain this pattern, our understanding of the processes regulating the accumulation of mercury in fish is currently inadequate. In this study, we used a simple mass balance model to explore how the relationship between mercury concentration and fish age is affected by bioenergetics processes and prey contamination. We show that mercury concentration increases with fish age when older fish consume more contaminated prey or when metabolic costs associated with activity also increase with fish size. Our analyses further indicate that the relative importance of growth rate, activity costs, and consumption rates for mercury concentration can vary widely. We also show that changes in the energy density of fish and their prey with fish size could also affect the relationship between mercury concentration in fish and age. Application of this mass balance model indicates that bioenergetics models underestimate the activity costs of lake trout. A simple approach is presented to estimate activity costs of fish under field conditions.

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