Cyanotoxin Bloom Reactor
Interactive 3D model of a cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom: nutrient- and temperature-driven cell growth, intracellular microcystin production, and the toxin spike released into the water when cells lyse — including what happens when you 'treat' the bloom with algaecide.
This simulator models a cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom as a coupled system: cell population growth driven by phosphorus loading and temperature, an intracellular microcystin toxin pool that grows under nutrient/thermal stress, and a dissolved-toxin pool in the water that fills when cells lyse and empties through photolysis and microbial decay. A 3D lake view renders the live cell population as instanced particles with a toxin haze tinting the water, while a WHO-guideline risk readout tracks whether the dissolved toxin sits in the safe, moderate, or high-risk band. An "apply algaecide treatment" control demonstrates a real and counter-intuitive risk-management lesson: killing the bloom chemically detonates its stored toxin into the water in one pulse, briefly spiking dissolved microcystin even as the visible bloom disappears — which is why treated waterbodies are monitored for dissolved toxin, not cell counts, after any intervention.
Model a cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom: nutrient- and temperature-driven cell growth, intracellular microcystin production, and the toxin spike released into the lake when cells lyse — including what happens when the bloom is treated with algaecide.
3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install