My objectives are to answer scientific questions including: How do coupled physical and biological processes influence phytoplankton, the base of the aquatic food web? This question is important because many symptoms of impairment in coastal and inland waters (e.g. hypoxia related fish kills, toxic algae related shellfish mortality, waterbird poisoning, and human illness) are related to phytoplankton species or concentrations. Phytoplankton also provides a critical, sometimes limiting source of organic carbon at the aquatic food web base that can regulate organism recruitment and survival at higher trophic levels (e.g. zooplankton and fish). Moreover, because phytoplankton is “food” for consumer organisms, it represents a means of [...]