Modelling the biogeochemical cycle of the Oualidia lagoon (Atlantic, Morocco)

Modelling nutrient cycle dynamics in the open ocean based on the well-known interactions among nutrients, phytoplankton, and zooplankton is well established and will be used in this work. Difficulty arises in applying this methodology to multiple coastal systems because of differences among geography, water chemistry, microbial interactions, weather patterns, and sedimentary nutrient cycling. Current trends in ecological modeling are toward more complex modeling relationships and mathematical functions. Preliminary comparisons with field data showed that the model reproduced realistic values. A sensitivity analysis was performed in order to identify the most sensitive variables of the model.This model will be easly able to reproduce most of the significant characteristics of the temporal variations of nutrients and of phytoplankton growth in the water surface of the Oualidia lagoon.