Spatial bioaccumulation modeling in a network of bayous

A software system, Spatial Network Bioaccumulation Model (SNBM), was developed to model the bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aquatic food webs. The SNBM uses a geographic information system as an engine to: (i) store the spatial representation of input parameters (the data related to the ecosystem), (ii) transfer input and output data to and from the food-web bioaccumulation model, and (iii) display the predicted food-web organism concentrations over a base map of the field site. The bioaccumulation model is a time-dependent, set of first-order ordinary differential equations that are solved numerically. Many sampling locations can be analyzed using the SNBM in one individual run. We demonstrate the system for a steady-state simulation of three PAHs, naphthalene, phenanthrene and benzanthracene in a food web for spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) from the LaBranche Wetlands, Louisiana, USA. The predicted food-web organism concentrations are plotted at their respective sampling location.