MASAS—A user-friendly simulation tool for modeling the fate of anthropogenic substances in lakes

Abstract MASAS is a computer simulation tool to investigate anthropogenic organic compounds in lakes. Models included are based on a dynamic one-dimensional vertical lake model describing the time-dependent concentration of a compound in the water column and in the sediment. Provision of data is ensured by library files. Interactive specification of transport and transformation processes yields models of different complexity, suitable for the initial assessment of chemicals and for chemodynamic studies. A hypothetical spill of an insecticide (disulfoton) serves as an illustration. Aspects relevant to the development of user-friendly software in the environmental sciences are discussed. User-friendliness is found to depend more on program concepts than on a particular user interface. The management of data sets on lakes and compounds, and the implementation of transport and transformation processes in MASAS exemplify the significance of modularization, program data structures, the use of metaphors, and the distinction between automatic and user-controlled program functions.

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