Collaborative Research: Agent-Based Modeling and Observation of Intra-Population Variability in Phytoplankton

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Ferdinand L. Hellweger, PINortheastern UniversityCBET-0730239Benjamin S. Twining, PIUniversity of South CarolinaCBET-0730061Collaborative Research: Agent-based Modeling and Observations of Intra-Population Variability in PhytoplanktonThe goal of the project is to investigate and evaluate the agent-based modeling (ABM) approach for simulating intra-population variability in nutrient contents for phytoplankton. Cultural eutrophication, which results from inputs of excess nutrients into water bodies, is an important environmental problem in the US and other countries. The effective management of a water body's trophic state requires an accurate biogeochemical (water quality, eutrophication) model. Present models use a lumped-system modeling (LSM) approach that assumes average properties of a population within a control volume. For modern biogeochemical models that formulate phytoplankton growth as a nonlinear function of the internal nutrient concentration (e.g. Droop kinetics), this averaging assumption can introduce a significant error. Agent-based modeling does not make the assumption of average properties and can simulate intra-population variability in nutrient content. The hypotheses to be tested are (1) intrapopulation variability in nutrient content plays an important role in phytoplankton dynamics in a real system; (2) Accounting for the intra-population variability of nutrient content improves model performance; and (3) Agent-based models can reproduce the observed intra-population variability in nutrient contents. The model will be tested on a real system consisting of a portion of the Charles River in Boston. The expected benefits of the work included improved support for making management decisions for aquatic systems affected by excessive nutrient input. The ABM approach has not been used to explore hypotheses in environmental engineering research. Graduate and undergraduate students will participate in the research. Undergraduate students from under-represented groups will be involved. Dissemination of the results will occur through short courses, on-line resources, conferences, and journal papers.