This volume is of great importance to humans and other living organisms. The study of water quality draws information from a variety of disciplines including chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics, engineering, and resource management. University training in water quality is often limited to specialized courses in engineering, ecology, and fisheries curricula. This book also offers a basic understanding of water quality to professionals who are not formally trained in the subject. The revised third edition updates and expands the discussion, and incorporates additional figures and illustrative problems. Improvements include a new chapter on basic chemistry, a more comprehensive chapter on hydrology, and an updated chapter on regulations and standards. Because it employs only first-year college-level chemistry and very basic physics, the book is well-suited as the foundation for a general introductory course in water quality. It is equally useful as a guide for self-study and an in-depth resource for general readers.

The efficient and profitable production of fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic organisms in aquaculture depends on a suitable environment in which they can reproduce and grow. Because those organisms live in water, the major environ mental concern within the culture system is water quality. Water supplies for aquaculture systems may naturally be oflow quality or polluted by human activity, but in most instances, the primary reason for water quality impairment is the culture activity itself. Manures, fertilizers, and feeds applied to ponds to enhance production only can be partially converted to animal biomass. Thus, at moderate and high production levels, the inputs of nutrients and organic matter to culture units may exceed the assimilative capacity of the ecosystems. The result is deteriorating water quality which stresses the culture species, and stress leads to poor growth, greater incidence of disease, increased mortality, and low produc tion. Effluents from aquaculture systems can cause pollution of receiving waters, and pollution entering ponds in source water or chemicals added to ponds for management purposes can contaminate aquacultural products. Thus, water quality in aquaculture extends into the arenas of environmental protection and food quality and safety. A considerable body of literature on water quality management in aquaculture has been accumulated over the past 50 years. The first attempt to compile this information was a small book entitled Water Quality in Warmwater Fish Ponds (Boyd I 979a)."

In 1979, several graduate students in the Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures at Auburn University met with one of the authors (CEB) and asked him to teach a new course on water supply for aqua culture. They felt that information on climatology, hydrology, water distribution systems, pumps, and wells would be valuable to them. Most of these students were planning to work in commercial aquaculture in the United States or abroad, and they thought that such a cdurse would better prepare them to plan aquaculture projects and to communicate with engineers, contractors, and other specialists who often become involved in the planning and construction phases of aquaculture en deavors. The course was developed, and after a few years it was decided that more effective presentation of some of the material could be made by an engineer. The other author (KHY) accepted the challenge, and three courses on the water supply aspects of aquaculture are now offered at Auburn University. A course providing background in hydrology is followed by courses on selected topics from water supply engineering. Most graduate programs in aquaculture at other universities will even tually include similar coursework, because students need a formal intro duction to this important, yet somewhat neglected, part of aquaculture. We have written this book to serve as a text for a course in water supply for aquaculture or for individual study. The book is divided into is concerned two parts."

Water quality is important to everyone, but professionals in many disciplines need an understanding of this subject. Although water quality is complex, its general aspects can be grasped readily and with little background - only introductory chemistry and biology and a little algebra are needed. Unfortunately, the teaching of water quality is not well organized. In most colleges and universities, water quality instruction is given in certain engineering curricula and in aquatic ecology or fisheries curricula. There also is brief attention to selected topics on water quality in numerous classes in other curricula. Water quality training in engineering is highly specialized and directed by necessity towards water supply and water treatment, while the focus in aquatic ecology and fisheries is on biological water quality and pollution. Few students venture into specialized classes outside of their curricula, and as a result, their formal training in water quality is greatly restricted. Self-education by reading texts and reference books on water quality is difficult. Authors of water quality books seem to be more interested in presenting a rigorous, detailed treatment than in focusing on simplicity and clarity. Chemical aspects of water quality often are presented at a level requiring fairly advanced mathematics and physical chemistry, and biological discussions may be quite advanced and theoretical. I have taught water quality to seniors and graduate students in agriculture, wildlife and fisheries, environmental sciences, economics, and similar disciplines for many years.

Aquaculture pond managers measure water-quality variables and attempt to maintain them within optimal ranges for shrimp and fish, but surprisingly little attention is paid to pond soil condition. Soil-water interactions can strongly impact water quality, and soil factors should be considered in aquaculture pond management. The importance of soils in pond management will be illustrated with an example from pond fertilization and another from aeration. Pond fertilization may not produce phytoplankton blooms in acidic ponds. Total alkalinity is too low to provide adequate carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, and acidic soils adsorb phosphate added in fertilizer before phytoplankton can use it. Agricultural lime stone application can raise total alkalinity and neutralize soil acidity. The amount of limestone necessary to cause these changes in a pond depends on the base unsaturation and exchange acidity of the bottom soil. Two ponds with the same total alkalinity and soil pH may require vastly different quantities of limestone because they differ in exchange acidity. Aeration enhances dissolved oxygen concentrations in pond water and permits greater feed inputs to enhance fish or shrimp production. As feeding rates are raised, organic matter accumulates in pond soils. In ponds with very high feeding rates, aeration may supply enough dissolved oxygen in the water column for fish or shrimp, but it may be impossible to maintain aerobic conditions in the surface layers of pond soil. Toxic metabolites produced by microorganisms in anaerobic soils may enter the pond water and harm fish or shrimp."

This volume is of great importance to humans and other living organisms. The study of water quality draws information from a variety of disciplines including chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics, engineering, and resource management. University training in water quality is often limited to specialized courses in engineering, ecology, and fisheries curricula. This book also offers a basic understanding of water quality to professionals who are not formally trained in the subject. The revised third edition updates and expands the discussion, and incorporates additional figures and illustrative problems. Improvements include a new chapter on basic chemistry, a more comprehensive chapter on hydrology, and an updated chapter on regulations and standards. Because it employs only first-year college-level chemistry and very basic physics, the book is well-suited as the foundation for a general introductory course in water quality. It is equally useful as a guide for self-study and an in-depth resource for general readers.

The revised second edition updates and expands the discussion, and incorporates additional figures and illustrative problems. Improvements include a new chapter on basic chemistry, a more comprehensive chapter on hydrology, and an updated chapter on regulations and standards. This book presents the basic aspects of water quality, emphasizing physical, chemical, and biological factors. The study of water quality draws information from a variety of disciplines including chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics, engineering, and resource management. University training in water quality is often limited to specialized courses in engineering, ecology, and fisheries curricula. This book also offers a basic understanding of water quality to professionals who are not formally trained in the subject. Because it employs only first-year college-level chemistry and very basic physics, the book is well-suited as the foundation for a general introductory course in water quality. It is equally useful as a guide for self-study and an in-depth resource for general readers.

In 1979, several graduate students in the Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures at Auburn University met with one of the authors (CEB) and asked him to teach a new course on water supply for aqua culture. They felt that information on climatology, hydrology, water distribution systems, pumps, and wells would be valuable to them. Most of these students were planning to work in commercial aquaculture in the United States or abroad, and they thought that such a cdurse would better prepare them to plan aquaculture projects and to communicate with engineers, contractors, and other specialists who often become involved in the planning and construction phases of aquaculture en deavors. The course was developed, and after a few years it was decided that more effective presentation of some of the material could be made by an engineer. The other author (KHY) accepted the challenge, and three courses on the water supply aspects of aquaculture are now offered at Auburn University. A course providing background in hydrology is followed by courses on selected topics from water supply engineering. Most graduate programs in aquaculture at other universities will even tually include similar coursework, because students need a formal intro duction to this important, yet somewhat neglected, part of aquaculture. We have written this book to serve as a text for a course in water supply for aquaculture or for individual study. The book is divided into is concerned two parts.

The efficient and profitable production of fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic organisms in aquaculture depends on a suitable environment in which they can reproduce and grow. Because those organisms live in water, the major environ mental concern within the culture system is water quality. Water supplies for aquaculture systems may naturally be oflow quality or polluted by human activity, but in most instances, the primary reason for water quality impairment is the culture activity itself. Manures, fertilizers, and feeds applied to ponds to enhance production only can be partially converted to animal biomass. Thus, at moderate and high production levels, the inputs of nutrients and organic matter to culture units may exceed the assimilative capacity of the ecosystems. The result is deteriorating water quality which stresses the culture species, and stress leads to poor growth, greater incidence of disease, increased mortality, and low produc tion. Effluents from aquaculture systems can cause pollution of receiving waters, and pollution entering ponds in source water or chemicals added to ponds for management purposes can contaminate aquacultural products. Thus, water quality in aquaculture extends into the arenas of environmental protection and food quality and safety. A considerable body of literature on water quality management in aquaculture has been accumulated over the past 50 years. The first attempt to compile this information was a small book entitled Water Quality in Warmwater Fish Ponds (Boyd I 979a)."

Aquaculture pond managers measure water-quality variables and attempt to maintain them within optimal ranges for shrimp and fish, but surprisingly little attention is paid to pond soil condition. Soil-water interactions can strongly impact water quality, and soil factors should be considered in aquaculture pond management. The importance of soils in pond management will be illustrated with an example from pond fertilization and another from aeration. Pond fertilization may not produce phytoplankton blooms in acidic ponds. Total alkalinity is too low to provide adequate carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, and acidic soils adsorb phosphate added in fertilizer before phytoplankton can use it. Agricultural lime stone application can raise total alkalinity and neutralize soil acidity. The amount of limestone necessary to cause these changes in a pond depends on the base unsaturation and exchange acidity of the bottom soil. Two ponds with the same total alkalinity and soil pH may require vastly different quantities of limestone because they differ in exchange acidity. Aeration enhances dissolved oxygen concentrations in pond water and permits greater feed inputs to enhance fish or shrimp production. As feeding rates are raised, organic matter accumulates in pond soils. In ponds with very high feeding rates, aeration may supply enough dissolved oxygen in the water column for fish or shrimp, but it may be impossible to maintain aerobic conditions in the surface layers of pond soil. Toxic metabolites produced by microorganisms in anaerobic soils may enter the pond water and harm fish or shrimp.

The culmination of over a decade's worth of research by the Pond Dynamics/Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP), Dynamics of Pond Aquaculture not only explains the physical, chemical, and biological processes that interact in pond culture systems, but also presents real-world research findings and considers the people who depend on these systems. This book uses data from CRSP field research sites in East Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America, and North America to present a complete picture of the pond system and the environment in which it exists.
A thorough study of the principles and practices of aquaculture, the book reflects the state of the art in pond aquaculture and incorporates recent advances that have changed the science in the last decade or so. It provides a thorough review of the many methods, techniques, and ideas that comprise this complex and fascinating area of study.