Enhancement of Fish Bioaccumulation Models with Environmental Geoinformatics

Abstract

This paper explores the advantages of applying Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the mathematical modelling of fish toxins bioaccumulation. The method is demonstrated with a mercury contamination study for Lake Ontario's Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The paper reviews how the various GIS options for identifying and visualizing mercury contamination in the fish may be used to improve the accuracy and presentation of mathematical models. It is demonstrated that the integration of GIS with bioaccumulation models provides an improved investigation tool, which can overcome existing problems of regional zoning and data scattering. The perspectives of the study will provide an enhanced capability for data extension and interpolation in environmental modelling, achieving a higher level of accuracy unattainable before.

Keywords: Bioaccumulation, fish, geovisualization, GIS, Lake Ontario, mercury, models