AbstractMathematical modelling of the ecosystem of the North‐West shelf of the Black Sea is based on the method of aggregation and averaging with the subsequent hierarchic decomposition (BELYAEV, 1987; BELYAEVand KONDUFOROVA, 1989). This approach includes the step‐by‐step comparison of the modelling results with field observations. The observations have been performed during the integrated oceanographic expedition of the research vessel “Professor Kolesnikov” (1987), for the first time specially organized to verify the modelling results. The comparison of the results of modelling and observation demonstrated that their agreement is satisfactory quantitatively and qualitatively. The efficiency of using models of optical fields for verification is a