Preface.

The article discusses eutrophication and algal blooms in lakes as worldwide environmental issues. Due to the strong lake-land, air-water and water-sediment interactions, the eutrophication process and forming mechanisms of algal blooms are particularly complicated in shallow lakes. China has thousands of lakes and nearly a third of them are shallow. Recently, many shallow lakes in China have displayed rapid eutrophication and suffered from algal blooms. These problems have resulted in a shortage of drinking water supply and degradation of lake ecosystems. Lake Taihu, located near Shanghai, is one of the largest and is suffering from economic development and population increases.