Models used to study harmful algal blooms are a subset of those used to examine more general planktonic
processes. Most models have been heuristic, examining the likelihood of certain processes generating a harmful
algal bloom. Several models have been more closely coupled to field data and have been used to gain insights into
the dynamics underlying the observations. As better physical and biological models are developed, models may
play an increasingly important role in harmful algal bloom research. Techniyucs such as data assimilation may
increase the predictive power of models, suggest stratcgics for improving field sampling, and better constrain poorly
known parameters and proccssc