Designing a simple microbiological-physical model for a coastal embayment

The Gulf of Fos receives part of the discharge of the Rhone river. A simple numerical model couples the physical processes of estuarine circulation, density stratification, and particulate resuspension, with the microbiological processes of light and nutrient controlled growth of pelagic micro-algae, bacteria and protozoans, and the detrital remineralisation of nutrients in water-column and sediment. Simple numerical experiments are used to show 1) the role of the Gulf in cycling land-derived nutrients before they reach the open sea; 2) the importance of particular resuspension in controlling light availability for photosynthesis and the export of organic material; and 3) the high frequency of variability in this shallow, wind-forced system. -from Authors