Environment influence on the phytoplankton distribution in a basin

We present a model of phytoplankton distribution in a one-dimensional vertical column of water under the influence of external factors such as mineral nutrients, insolation and temperature. Mineral nutrients and insolation act oppositely on the spatial phytoplankton distribution. We present the results of numerical experiments and note the potential utility of this model to reconstruct the spatial phytoplankton distribution from the sea-surface satellite data.