Water quality dynamics in cyanobacterial control in Brazilian Cerrado reservoir

Abstract

Understanding cyanobacterial dominance in tropical reservoirs is crucial for water management. This study examined the dynamics of water quality in the João Leite Reservoir, situated in the Brazilian Cerrado, utilising 30 months of monitoring data from five sites. Physical, chemical, and biological parameters, including fluorometric chlorophyll-a, using multivariate statistics (Cluster Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, PCA; Canonical Correlation Analysis, CCA), were analysed alongside the Trophic State Index (TSI). Results showed temporal variations exceeded spatial differences. Cyanobacteria were dominant despite generally low nutrient levels and an oligotrophic TSI classification. Principal Component Analysis revealed that temperature is strongly associated with cyanobacterial density. However, Canonical Correspondence Analysis and correlations revealed limited direct statistical influence of measured physicochemical parameters, including nutrients, on cyanobacterial abundance. Findings suggest that in this warm, tropical system, high temperatures combined with stable hydrodynamics, resulting from long hydraulic retention times (>180 days), likely facilitate cyanobacterial success, overriding direct nutrient limitation.