The goal of the proposed research is to evaluate the effects of sediment resuspension and Microcystis sediment populations on Lake Erie harmful algal blooms (HABs) through laboratory experiments, ‘omics-enabled methods, and hydrodynamic and statistical modeling. We will use hydrodynamic modeling to identify the strength and frequency of bottom shear stress (Objective 1), then use laboratory experiments with sediment cores to identify the functional relationship between bottom shear stress and resuspension of Microcystis colonies (Objective 2). We will test the connection between resuspension events and HABs using genetic markers to determine whether Microcystis genotypes found in blooms are the same as those found on sediments (Objective 3) and by developing statistical models of HAB biomass to ask whether model performance is improved by including resuspension as a predictor (Objective 4). These Objectives directly address the priority need “Observations and Improved Modeling” identified by the US Coastal Research Program, which selected our proposal.