Entropy Index: New Opportunities in Assessing the Ecological State of Aquatic Ecosystems

摘要

The paper proposes a new method for the integrated assessment of aquatic ecosystems based on dissolved oxygen concentration and water body temperature. The study proves the validity of assessing the state of aquatic ecosystems in terms of entropy change and the possibility of assessing the ecological state of water bodies based on the point values of the entropy index. The algorithm for the calculation of the entropy index based on water temperature and oxygen concentration according to point measurements is described, and the theoretically reasoned scale for the estimation of the state of water ecosystems is proposed. Based on long-term data on dissolved oxygen and water temperature obtained at the stations of the state observation network and Roshydromet automatic water quality control stations, as well as on experimental data, the entropy index is calculated for some water bodies in the Russian Federation. The advantages and prospects of practical application of the method for the surface water monitoring are discussed.