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«IZVESTIYA IRKUTSKOGO GOSUDARSTVENNOGO UNIVERSITETA». SERIYA «NAUKI O ZEMLE»
«THE BULLETIN OF IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY». SERIES «EARTH SCIENCES»
ISSN 2073-3402 (Print)

List of issues > Series «Earth Sciences». 2026. Vol 56

Simulation of the Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Plankton in the Kuibyshev Reservoir

Author(s)

A. V. Rakhuba

Samara Federal Research Center RAS, Samara, Russian Federation

Abstract
The regulation of river flow and the creation of reservoirs, climate warming and anthropogenic stress – all this leads to changes in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. In such a vast body of water as the Kuibyshev reservoir, the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the distribution of planktonic organisms is an important ecosystem feature affecting the quality of the aquatic environment. To assess the spatial and temporal dynamics of planktonic organisms (phytoplankton, bacterioplankton, and zooplankton), a 2D spatial model of the ecosystem of the Kuibyshev reservoir, including biotic and abiotic components, has been developed. The model calculations use the material of the expedition research at the Scientific Research Institute “Biologist” of the IEB RAS, as well as the initial information obtained from the company “Rushydro” and from literary sources. Based on the example of the 2016 growing season, model calculations of the spatial and temporal dynamics of the plankton community in the Kuibyshev reservoir were performed. The average biomass of planktonic organisms in the selected areas of the reservoir in the spring, summer and autumn periods was estimated. The coefficients of heterogeneity of the spatial distribution of planktonic organisms have been calculated for the entire reservoir, which vary widely during the biological summer and amount to 4.6-88%. The areas of the Kuibyshev reservoir water area where the largest biomass of plankton is formed have been identified. The model showed acceptable convergence of the calculation results with the data of the expedition observations in the summer period.
About the Authors
Rakhuba Aleksandr Vladimirovish, Candidate of Sciences (Technics), Senior Researcher, Head of the Laboratory for Monitoring of Water Objects Samara Federal Research Center RAS 3А, Student Lane, Samara, 443001, Russian Federation e-mail: rahavum@mail.ru
For citation
Rakhuba A.V. Simulation of the Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Plankton in the Kuibyshev Reservoir. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Earth Sciences, 2026, vol. 56, pp. 101-121. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3402.2026.56.101 (in Russian)
Keywords
Kuibyshev reservoir, ecosystem, plankton biomass, biogenic elements, water quality, hydrodynamics, thermodynamics, mathematical modeling.
UDC
574.52 (282.247.416.1)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3402.2026.56.101
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