A model of algal growth depending on nutrients and inorganic carbon in a poorly mixed water column

Abstract

A reaction-diffusion-advection model is proposed to describe the growth of algae depending on both nutrients and inorganic carbon in a poorly mixed water column. Nutrients from the water bottom and inorganic carbon from the water surface form an asymmetric resource supply mechanism for the algal growth. The existence and stability of semi-trivial steady state and positive steady state of the model are proved, and a threshold condition for the regime shift from extinction to survival of algae is established. The influence of environmental parameters on the vertical distribution of algae is investigated in the water column. It is shown that the vertical distribution of algae can exhibit many different profiles under the combined limitation of nutrients and inorganic carbon.