A simple method for approximating the supportive capacities and metabolic constraints in lakes and reservoirs

A method for calculating and comparing the stoichiometric yields of phytoplankton standing crop (as chlorophyll a) is presented. 2. Some worked examples show how the model distinguishes lakes in which the supportive capacity is constrained mainly by the available phosphorus or by the nitrogen supply or by the light availability. Sites are identified where control moves among the constraining factors. 3. An instance of lake management is given where the diagnosis, remedy and the remediation have conformed closely to the model predictions.