Harmful algal bloom modeling framework for the Pocomoke River estuary.

摘要

In many estuarine and coastal environments, harmful algal blooms (HABs) have caused deleterious effects such as fish kills and shellfish poisoning resulting in major financial losses for the fishing and tourism industries. In 1997, a HAB in the form of Pfiesteria piscicida occurred in the Pocomoke River Estuary along the Eastern Shore of Maryland resulting in a massive fish kill. Although extensive data were collected from the river, a definitive cause for the bloom was never determined.;In this study, a water quality model was developed to analyze the Pocomoke River Estuary in order to investigate potential causes for the bloom. Various researchers have hypothesized that certain factors may influence bloom initiation in waterbodies around the globe. These factors include nutrient ratios, nutrient and cyst release from sediment, and turbulence. Evaluation of these factors using the developed model indicated that no one particular factor was solely responsible for the formation of the HAB in the Pocomoke River Estuary in 1997. However, the inclusion of these factors into the modeling framework results in a model that is more fully representative of the physical and chemical processes that are fundamental to HAB formation. The modeling framework developed in this dissertation represents a significant improvement over current models and may serve as a tool for future investigations into HAB formation in other coastal waters.*;*This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation).