https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06295-z
Regular Article
Modeling the impact of harmful algal blooms on aquatic life and human health
Department of Mathematics, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, 221005, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Received:
18
February
2025
Accepted:
3
April
2025
Published online:
14
May
2025
Harmful algal blooms pose a significant and growing threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide, largely driven by excessive nutrient enrichment. These blooms disrupt ecological balance, degrade water quality, and have profound socioeconomic consequences. To address this pressing issue, this study presents a mathematical model that captures the complex interplay between nutrients, algae, fish, and human population. The model incorporates critical ecological processes, including algae growth dynamics, nutrient cycling, predation of algae by fish, and the detrimental effects of harmful algal blooms on fish and human population. By integrating these interactions, the model explores the feedback mechanisms that govern the ecosystem’s stability and resilience. Using bifurcation analysis, the model identifies key thresholds and critical points that determine shifts in the system’s dynamical behavior, revealing the presence of saddle-node, transcritical, and Hopf bifurcations. These findings highlight the delicate balance within aquatic ecosystems and the potential for abrupt transitions between stable states under varying environmental conditions. This study provides a robust theoretical foundation for understanding the mechanisms driving harmful algal blooms’ formation and persistence. It emphasizes the need for integrated management strategies that address both ecological and human dimensions, offering insights into sustainable approaches for mitigating the impacts of harmful algal blooms.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
