ABSTRACT
Algal blooms offer a relatively simple system with which to start the analysis of the role of aggregation in marine ecosystems. Coagulation theory has been applied to other marine particle systems. An algal bloom is a particularly good system in which to study coagulation dynamics because the high particle concentrations should promote high coagulation rates. The chapter discusses the effect that coagulation can have on the development of a bloom and suggests that changes that have to be made in the coagulation kernels to accommodate them to a biological oceanography context. Coagulation models can be formulated assuming a monodisperse system, in which all of the particles are initially the same, or assuming a continuous size distribution. The coagulation kernel for differential sedimentation has been calculated at several levels of accuracy. Coagulation models that emphasize algal blooms are useful tools for studying the interaction between organisms and coagulation, but they lack many important features of real ecosystems.
