One-dimensional ecosystem model tests in the Po Prodelta area (Northern Adriatic Sea)

Abstract The application of a one-dimensional ecosystem model to a water column in front of the Po Prodelta area in the Northern Adriatic Sea is illustrated here. Validation was carried out for pelagic nutrients and phytoplankton biomasses by comparing simulations with historical data. Calibration was limited to the sediment parameters and to the suspended inorganic matter data from recent PRISMA-I (Programma di RIcerca e Sperimentazione per il Mare Adriatico) data sets. Primary production and nutrient abundance is found to be in overall agreement with climatological observations at the seasonal time scales. Model-data discrepancies are interpreted in the light of model assumptions. Main conclusions concern the importance of the inorganic suspended matter concentrations in determining the seasonal cycle of primary producers hinting to a strong light limitation in algal growth in this river dominated area. The need for further improvements in the pelagic dynamical processes of the silica cycle is also discussed.