Dataset for: Simulating cell death in the termination of Karenia brevis blooms: Implications for predicting aerosol toxicity vectors to humans

A non-linear lysis term for simulation of K. brevis HAB termination on the West Florida Shelf is introduced, with the assumption that particle encounters of planktonic microalgae and bacteria can be described as the square of the phytoplankton biomass. This formulation also accounts for nutrient-limitation of K. brevis as a precondition for susceptibility to bacterial and viral attack, and potentially programmed cell death. Two model simulations were run of linear and non-linear lysis cases. Model output was compared against observed weekly maximum K. brevis concentrations, with statistical metrics calculated over three HAB phases during 2001. Introduction of the non-linear lysis term increased the modeling efficiency by 0.68 due to improved reproduction of the bloom termination.