Spring-summer dynamics of chlorophyll-a and its hydrological and water quality drivers at the dam forebay of Huating lake reservoir

DONG Jiang; FAN Zhong-ya; HUANG Lu; LI Dan; YANG Meng-di; QIU Yi-xuan; WANG Biao; DUAN Bin; WANG Wen-cai

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China Environmental Science ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (3) : 1499-1508.

Spring-summer dynamics of chlorophyll-a and its hydrological and water quality drivers at the dam forebay of Huating lake reservoir

DONG Jiang¹, FAN Zhong-ya², HUANG Lu², LI Dan², YANG Meng-di², QIU Yi-xuan¹, WANG Biao¹, DUAN Bin³, WANG Wen-cai²

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Abstract

Using high-frequency continuous monitoring data collected at the dam forebay of Huating Lake from April to June 2022, this study quantified chlorophyll-a (Chl.a) dynamics and examined its phase-dependent responses to hydrological and water-quality drivers during phytoplankton growth and decline stages. Principal component analysis, multivariate correlation analysis, and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were integrated to disentangle the relative contributions and interaction pathways of these drivers. Chl.a concentrations ranged from 6.54 to 65.90µg/L (mean: (34.62±12.14)µg/L), exhibiting a pronounced unimodal temporal pattern. The dominant controls on Chl.a differed substantially between growth and decline phases. During the growth phase, Chl.a variability was primarily driven by the combined effects of nutrient availability—especially total phosphorus (TP) and permanganate index (COD_Mn)—and hydrological processes, including water-level fluctuations and outflow discharge. In contrast, Chl.a dynamics during the decline phase were mainly regulated by pH and total nitrogen (TN), indicating a shift in controlling mechanisms across phytoplankton life stages. PLS-SEM results showed that water-quality factors exerted significant positive direct effects on Chl.a in both phases (standardized path coefficients: 0.729 in the growth phase and 0.941 in the decline phase). Hydrological factors did not directly affect Chl.a but influenced it indirectly through water-quality pathways, producing a negative indirect effect during the growth phase (-0.780) and a positive indirect effect during the decline phase (0.583). Variable-level analysis identified COD_Mn and TP, together with outflow discharge and water level, as key drivers during the growth phase, whereas pH, TP, TN, COD_Mn, and water level dominated during the decline phase.

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reservoir / chlorophyll a / hydrology / water quality / phytoplankton

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DONG Jiang, FAN Zhong-ya, HUANG Lu, LI Dan, YANG Meng-di, QIU Yi-xuan, WANG Biao, DUAN Bin, WANG Wen-cai. Spring-summer dynamics of chlorophyll-a and its hydrological and water quality drivers at the dam forebay of Huating lake reservoir[J]. China Environmental Science. 2026, 46(3): 1499-1508

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