Biophysical interactions control the progression of harmful algal blooms in Chesapeake Bay: A novel Lagrangian particle tracking model with mixotrophic growth and vertical migration

Climate change and nutrient pollution contribute to the expanding global footprint of harmful algal blooms. To better predict their spatial distributions disentangle biophysical controls, a novel Lagrangian particle tracking biological (LPT-Bio) model was developed with high-resolution numerical remote sensing. The LPT-Bio integrates advantages Eulerian approaches by explicitly simulating bloom dynamics, biomass change, diel vertical migrations along predicted trajectories. successfully captured intensity extent 2020 Margalefidinium polykrikoides in lower Chesapeake Bay resolved fine-scale structures patchiness, demonstrating reliable prediction skill for 7–10 d. fully coupled initialized/calibrated sensing controlled ambient environmental conditions appeared be powerful approach predicting transport pathways, identifying hotspots, resolving concentration variations at subgrid scales, investigating responses HABs changing human interference.