Phytoplankton Settings

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K for Nitrogen - Determines how well the phytoplankton grows at low levels of nitrogen.

A lower K value means that growth is closer to maximum growth rates for a given nutrient level.

Vary the half-saturation coefficient from 0 to 2. What happens to the peak of the phytoplankton bloom? What happens to the magnitude of the bloom? Why?

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Ekmax - Reflects the amount of photosynthesis a plant can undergo at a certain light level.

Phytoplankton are light limited if there is not enough light available for them to grow at their maximum rate. Lower Ekmax values mean that phytoplankton approach their maximum levels of photosynthesis at lower light levels.

Vary Ekmax from 10 to 500. What happens to the depth of the bloom? What happens to the timing? Why?

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Growtho - Temperature-specific growth rate.

The temperature-specific growth rate determines the temperature-dependent maximum growth rate. When Growtho is low, it means that phytoplankton don’t grow well at a given water temperature. When it is high, it means they grow much better.

Vary from 0.4 to 1.0. What happens to the magnitude and timing of the bloom?

(Click to see a detailed explanation. (Click to see a detailed explanation. Note: use your browser's back button to return to this location in the module.)


Carbon to Nitrogen - Carbon to nitrogen ratio.

Phytoplankton are composed of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in a ratio of approximately 106:16:1. As a result, when phytoplankton consume nitrogen, they are also consuming about 6 times as much carbon. But this ratio of carbon to nitrogen varies in phytoplankton and here you can experiment with it yourself.

Vary from 3 to 12. What happens to phytoplankton and nitrogen?


Mortality Rate - Phytoplankton mortality rate.

The morality rate is how quickly phytoplankton die. When this value is high they are dying quickly. When zooplankton is turned on, phytoplankton are lost only to grazing and not to mortality.

(Vary 0 to 0.5)

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