Relating Lake Circulation Patterns to Sediment, Nutrient, and Water Hyacinth Distribution in a Shallow Tropical Highland Lake

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear authors, 

the manuscript entitled "Relating Lake Circulation Patterns to Sediment, Nutrient, and Water Hyacinth Distribution in a Shallow Tropical Highland Lake " aims to investigate the effect of lake circulation patterns on sediment, phosphorus, and water hyacinth distribution in Lake Tana, using the Delft3D-FLOW model. Overall, the manuscript is comprehensive and it clearly describes the methodology used to address the main goal. 

Attached you can find some suggestions and comments.  

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear reviewer

Thank you for your comments

Our response and the marked-up manuscript are attached.

Thanks again

Mebrahtom and Tammo

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Editor/Author(s),

In their study, the author(s) investigated the influence of lake circulation models (Delft3D) on sediment and nutrient distribution and its impact on the spread of water hyacinth in a tropical lake, Lake Tana (Ethiopia). They obtained data from inert tracers positioned in 4 main inlets of the lake. The paper is well written, has current and important data, and should be of great interest to the readers. The introduction and others sections provide useful information for the readers. The paper has a potential to be accepted, but some critical points have to be clarified or fixed before we can proceed and a positive action can be taken.

I here summarize this points:

1- The types of pollutants (heavy metals, nutrients, pesticides, microplastics) that lakes are under pressure should be explained in the introduction by giving examples. Thus, the introduction will attract the attention of the readers more. For example:

Heavy metals

Aksu, Ö., Yabanli, M., Can, E., Kutluyer, F., Kehayias, G., Can, Ş. S., ... & Demir, V. (2012). Comparison of heavy metals bioaccumulation by Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771) and Unio elongatulus eucirrus (Bourguignat, 1860) from Keban Dam Lake, Turkey. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 21(7), 1942-1947.

Yabanli, M., Coskun, Y., & Oz, B. (2015). Detection of heavy metal concentrations in three freshwater fish species in lake Marmara (Western Anatolia) and heavy metal human health risk assessment. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 24, 4273-4278.

Nutrients

Wang, J., Zhao, Q., Pang, Y., & Hu, K. (2017). Research on nutrient pollution load in Lake Taihu, China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24, 17829-17838.

Rask, M., Olin, M., & Ruuhijärvi, J. (2010). Fish‐based assessment of ecological status of Finnish lakes loaded by diffuse nutrient pollution from agriculture. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 17(2), 126-133.

Pesticides

Konstantinou, I. K., Hela, D. G., & Albanis, T. A. (2006). The status of pesticide pollution in surface waters (rivers and lakes) of Greece. Part I. Review on occurrence and levels. Environmental Pollution, 141(3), 555-570.

Cabrerizo, A., Muir, D. C., Teixeira, C., Lamoureux, S. F., & Lafreniere, M. J. (2019). Snow deposition and melting as drivers of polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in Arctic rivers, lakes, and ocean. Environmental Science & Technology, 53(24), 14377-14386.

Microplastics

Dusaucy, J., Gateuille, D., Perrette, Y., & Naffrechoux, E. (2021). Microplastic pollution of worldwide lakes. Environmental Pollution, 284, 117075.

Yang, S., Zhou, M., Chen, X., Hu, L., Xu, Y., Fu, W., & Li, C. (2022). A comparative review of microplastics in lake systems from different countries and regions. Chemosphere, 286, 131806.

2- Line 81: It would be better if the purpose of the study is written in bullet points.

3- The locations of the inert tracers should be shown on the map in the Figure 1.

4- In Figure 4, the flow-patterns of the lake are not clearly visible.

5- What kind of sediment deposition and phosphorus loading management should be applied to control water hyacinths in the Lake. The conclusion should include a few recommendations on this topics.

The content of the article in accordance with the aims of the Hydrology.

The article is scientifically sufficient.

Keywords are well chosen so that the article can be found by indexes.

The literature has been adequately critical, current and internationally evaluated by the authors.

The language of the article is correct and clear.

The materials and methods part is clear.

The discussion part is quite comprehensive in the paper.

Tables and figures are well designed and necessary.

Minor revision

Author Response

Dear reviewer

Thank you for your comments

Our response and the marked-up manuscript are attached.

Thanks again

Mebrahtom and Tammo

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf