Phase synchronization of chlorophyll and total phosphorus oscillations as an indicator of the transformation of a lake ecosystem

The ecosystem of the Naroch Lakes (Belarus) includes three water bodies, Lake Batorino, Lake Myastro and Lake Naroch. These lakes have a common catchment area. At the end of the 80 s, the ecosystem of the Naroch Lakes underwent a transformation, during which the nutrient load on the catchment area decreased, and the concentration of phosphorus as a limiting factor in these water bodies decreased significantly. At the same time, the Naroch Lakes were exposed to zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha Pallas) invasion. In the mid-90 s, the biological and hydrochemical characteristics of the ecosystem of the Naroch Lakes stabilized. We show here that complex processes associated with the transformation of the lake ecosystem and affecting both trophic interactions in the Naroch Lakes and the influence of environmental factors on them can be represented using a single parameter, the phase-locking index, PLI. In this case, a statistically significant numerical value of PLI characterizes the phase synchronization of two processes, oscillations of the concentration of total phosphorus, TP, and oscillations of the concentration of chlorophyll, Chl. We show that the phase synchronization of these processes occurs only after the stabilization of the ecosystem of the Naroch Lakes. In the period preceding the transformation of the lake ecosystem, there was no synchronization. Numerical evaluation of PLI as a holistic parameter allows us to characterize the transformation of the lake ecosystem as a whole without resorting to study of complex interactions of various factors involved in this transformation.