Monitoring and Restoring Freshwater Ecosystems
The Department of Environmental Science (ES), School of Science & Engineering (SOSE) of the Ateneo de Manila University is actively engaged in research and extension work in freshwater ecosystems.
Faculty from the ES Department conducted water quality monitoring research in Taal Lake, a tropical caldera lake with an active volcano at the center. This unique freshwater ecosystem is a site for recreational activities and is also used for aquaculture. Unfortunately, it is plagued by issues of eutrophication due to nutrient loading from aquaculture activities and from the surrounding residential communities and commercial establishments, leading to fish kills. This research looked at historical lake water quality and weather data in conjunction with documented fish kill events to determine trends that may be used to predict the occurrence of fish kills in the future. It highlighted the importance of long-term monitoring and data analysis that will help build a larger knowledge base on how tropical lakes with the same characteristics respond to anthropogenic and natural stressors.
The ES Department also conducts research and community work at the Seven Lakes of San Pablo City, Laguna. Like Taal Lake, these lakes provide recreational opportunities and are also used for aquaculture. Unfortunately, agricultural activities in the surrounding areas as well as the aquaculture itself leads to nutrient loading which disturbs the equilibrium of the aquatic ecosystem. This study conducted an integrated assessment of Lake Palakpakin, a shallow lake, and looked at nutrient dynamics, phytoplankton diversity, and sediment geochemistry. Their results show that current high light extinction coefficient, high turbidity, high phosphate concentrations, and the abundant presence of Microcystis aeruginosa, Anabaena helicoidea, and Lyngbya sp. Indicate that Lake Palakpakin has become a eutrophic to hypereutrophic freshwater body. This highlights the need to enhance lake management efforts using a whole-ecosystem approach in addressing the problem of eutrophication, especially in shallow tropical lakes.