Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risk Assessment of Contaminants in Baiyangdian Lake, China

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear authors, thank you for submitting the manuscript to the journal of Water. Its topic is very interesting. However, the current version of the paper suffers from a number of weaknesses related to the empirical strategy used. I have the following comments/questions for the authors:

Abstract

·        The abstract could be more specific. I suggest the authors should organize the abstract as well as main text in four sections, namely: scope, objectives, methods, results, conclusions. Also, abstract section should be completed with the results of the study. Don’t use abbreviation on the first time. Define full form for the first time than after use abbreviation only (Please check in the entire manuscript).

·        The abstract section needs a lot of improvement in scientific writing. There are many sentences which are not properly presented.

·        Add important results in the abstract section.

·        The authors ought to re-write the abstract so that it briefly presents the problem at hand, objectives of the study, methods used to achieve the objectives in logical order. Also, abstract section should be completed with the results of the study.

Introduction

·        The introduction of the manuscript was poorly written. Try to highlight the regional or national significance of this study.

·        In introduction chapter please focus on problem generally, on the basis of examples in the whole World, not your study area.

·        Add some facts and figures of surface water quality around the globe in your introduction.

·        Add some recent article to make your introduction more attractive and strong. I propose to add this survey method in the overview section of the introduction section, based on the latest literature. Please replace old citations (if it is possible) or add citations of newest literature.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2012.01.115

https://doi.org/10.3390/w13162258

https://doi.org/10.3390/w14162557

https://doi.org/10.3390/w13202874

Methods

Study area

·        Describe all the features of the study area in brief including climate, topography, geology, and hydrogeology?

·        Would you please give more information about the lake (e.g., max depth, average precipitation and evaporation, the prevalent climate, mixing regime, warm monomictic or polymictic)?

Sampling sites

·        Please give detailed information on water samplers (e.g., accuracy, manufacturer).

·        Sampling locations were selected carefully within Baiyangdian Lake to have a good representation of the spatial variability of quality indicators across-section of water quality monitoring. What criteria where analyzed to select this locations?

Data sources and quality assurance

·        What criteria where analyzed to select this locations (for example bathymetry plan of the Lake)?

·        Please provide detailed detection methods and quality control results?

·        Please support your methods by providing appropriate references or give the guidelines used to analyze the water quality parameters.

·        Please support your methods by providing appropriate references or give the guidelines used (Tables 2 and 3) and equations.

·        How did you do quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) on the obtained data to validate the conclusions?

Discussion

·        You should think how transformational the research is likely to be should be made so that the outcome of the work will have an impact on the community/society facing given sustainability related challenges?

·        Write the practical applications of your work in a separate section, before the conclusions and provide your good perspectives.

·        What are the bottlenecks of this work and how did you mitigate the impacts attributed to them?

·        What are the likely research impacts of this work globally, nationally and locally?

·        What are the economic benefits of this work?

·        Make a table of comparison of this present work and other similar techniques from previously published study in terms of operational parameters and operational cost; afterwards, please give a critical analysis on its technical feasibility and applicability for up scaling this process.

·        Why do you believe your research to be important? What long-term impacts will it have on environmental protection and the wider public or the field following the completion of the research?

Conclusion

·        Concise the text in conclusion and add future work in order to recommend your work. Shorten the length of each and every paragraph by adding only relevant and major findings in your study.

Please respond to all of those comments in the revised manuscript by pointing out precisely and concisely on which page and in which line you have incorporated your response one by one.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

1. The world's experience in ecological risk assessment is poorly used

2. The text is overly descriptive, it has a lot of repetition

3. Poor data interpretation, no spatial analysis

4. Very few figures

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

The research deals with the important issues of the contaminants in surface water from scenic area lakes: occurrence, distribution, and ecological risk assessment. In this study, the single-factor evaluation method was adopted, and 14 water quality indicators in 4 categories, including conventional water quality, eutrophication, heavy metals, and chemical pollution, were selected. Risk assessment of water quality in spring, summer, and autumn at 8 typical monitoring stations. The results showed that the characteristic water pollution factors were permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Remarks: If possible include the references that were possible, for example for equations of the eutrophication status of Baiyangdian water Line 162. The authors obtain some information about the water quality of Baiyangdian, which is seriously polluted by eutrophication. Can you propose some measures, which can be taken to comprehensively control it, in order to minimize the harm of eutrophication? As The eutrophication of Baiyangdian water is an environmental colossal problem. The region in which the inquiry was conducted, What's distinctive about them?  What's typical, as compared to the rest of the areas? More statistics can be used. Are there concrete steps that can be recommended and how generalizable are the findings? It can be underlined in both of the sections the Results and Conclusions. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper is an interesting study and authors have presented new indices to comprehensive assessment of the ecological risk in Baiyangdian Lake, China. Because water environment protections are one of the most important problems, it is necessary to find new methods and techniques to monitor point sources of pollution in lake water.

The article is written correctly, includes a discussion of the research findings, and a good review of the literature. The results are presented in a clearly structured manner. The paper has a logical structure and clearly describes the methodology. The manuscript has been significantly improved and can now be accepted in current form.

Comments for author File: Comments.docx

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Figures should be improved, especially figures 3-5.

It is recommended to improve image quality and legend.

It is desirable to use the same cartographic base in Figures 3-5 as in Figure 1.

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Please provide the source file of the figures in the text. Please provide better quality of the following figures: Line 382: Fig.3 Eutrophication index in spring, summer, and autumn, Line 429: Fig.4 Comprehensive pollution index in spring, summer, and autumn, Line 448: Fig.5 Risk quotient in spring, summer, and autumn.

Provide better quality of all figures.

Please explain well, where is the novelty of the distingusihed method.

Conclusion is not sufficiently described. It is more like summary of information, what can be read in previous chapters.

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx