A simulation study of the growth and the spatial distribution of plankton in the estuary of the Yodo River, Osaka Bay, Japan

To investigate marine environment in closed sea areas, daily change of the horizontal and vertical distribution of phytoplankton in the estuary of the Yodo River, Osaka bay has been observed in previous studies. To analyze these data, we calculated horizontal and vertical distribution of phytoplankton in Osaka Bay using a simplified mathematical model. The results showed that the model reproduced the basic features of observed distribution. Moreover, the calculated distribution greatly depended on the load of nutrients from the river. The observed daily change in the phytoplankton distribution may have been caused by the difference in the loads from the river.