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We constructed a complex ecological model of Lake Erie, EcoLE, based on a two-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model (CE-QUAL-W2). We used data from 1997 to calibrate the model, and data from 1998 and 1999 to verify it. The simulated surface and bottom water temperatures show good agreement with field observations. In spite of limitations of this 2D model and data availability, the simulated values of biological and nutrient state variables match well with field measurements. Although EcoLE's performance for the verification years is as good as that of the calibration year, the wide standard deviations of both field measurements and model simulations as well as the complexity of an ecosystem of this size make us consider our model more as a valid analytical tool rather than a predictive one at this moment. Nevertheless, we have constructed the first fine-scale dynamic ecological model of a …