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Mechanisms controlling primary and new production in a global ecosystem model Part II: The role of the upper ocean short-term periodic and episodic mixing events

Mechanisms controlling primary and new production in a global ecosystem model Part II: The role of the upper ocean short-term periodic and episodic mixing events
Mechanisms controlling primary and new production in a global ecosystem model Part II: The role of the upper ocean short-term periodic and episodic mixing events
The use of 6 h, daily, weekly and monthly atmospheric forcing resulted in dramatically different predictions of plankton productivity in a global 3-D coupled physical/biogeochemical model. Resolving the diurnal cycle of atmospheric variability by use of 6 h forcing, and hence also diurnal variability in UML depth, produced the largest difference, reducing predicted global primary and new production by 25% and 10% respectively relative to that predicted with daily and weekly forcing. This decrease varied regionally, being a 30% reduction in equatorial areas primarily because of increased light limitation resulting from deepening of the mixed layer overnight as well as enhanced storm activity, and 25% at moderate and high latitudes primarily due to increased grazing pressure resulting from late winter stratification events. Mini-blooms of phytoplankton and zooplankton occur in the model during these events, leading to zooplankton populations being sufficiently well developed to suppress the progress of phytoplankton blooms. A 10% increase in primary production was predicted in the peripheries of the oligotrophic gyres due to increased storm-induced nutrient supply end enhanced winter production during the short term stratification events thatare resolved in the run forced by 6 h meteorological fields. By resolving the diurnal cycle, model performance was significantly improved with respect to several common problems:underestimated primary production in the oligotrophic gyres; overestimated primary production in the Southern Ocean; overestimated magnitude of the spring bloom in the subarctic Pacific Ocean, and overestimated primary production in equatorial areas. The result of using 6 h forcing on predicted ecosystem dynamics was profound, the effects persisting far beyond the hourly timescale, and having major consequences for predicted global and new production on an annual basis.
1812-0792
267-279
Popova, E.E.
3ea572bd-f37d-4777-894b-b0d86f735820
Coward, A.C.
53b78140-2e65-476a-b287-e8384a65224b
Nurser, G.A.
2493ef9a-21e9-4d8b-9c32-08677e7e145a
de Cuevas, B.
01cc697c-2832-4de6-87bf-bf9f16c1f906
Anderson, T.R.
dfed062f-e747-48d3-b59e-2f5e57a8571d
Popova, E.E.
3ea572bd-f37d-4777-894b-b0d86f735820
Coward, A.C.
53b78140-2e65-476a-b287-e8384a65224b
Nurser, G.A.
2493ef9a-21e9-4d8b-9c32-08677e7e145a
de Cuevas, B.
01cc697c-2832-4de6-87bf-bf9f16c1f906
Anderson, T.R.
dfed062f-e747-48d3-b59e-2f5e57a8571d

Popova, E.E., Coward, A.C., Nurser, G.A., de Cuevas, B. and Anderson, T.R. (2006) Mechanisms controlling primary and new production in a global ecosystem model Part II: The role of the upper ocean short-term periodic and episodic mixing events. Ocean Science, 2 (2), 267-279.

Record type: Article

Abstract

The use of 6 h, daily, weekly and monthly atmospheric forcing resulted in dramatically different predictions of plankton productivity in a global 3-D coupled physical/biogeochemical model. Resolving the diurnal cycle of atmospheric variability by use of 6 h forcing, and hence also diurnal variability in UML depth, produced the largest difference, reducing predicted global primary and new production by 25% and 10% respectively relative to that predicted with daily and weekly forcing. This decrease varied regionally, being a 30% reduction in equatorial areas primarily because of increased light limitation resulting from deepening of the mixed layer overnight as well as enhanced storm activity, and 25% at moderate and high latitudes primarily due to increased grazing pressure resulting from late winter stratification events. Mini-blooms of phytoplankton and zooplankton occur in the model during these events, leading to zooplankton populations being sufficiently well developed to suppress the progress of phytoplankton blooms. A 10% increase in primary production was predicted in the peripheries of the oligotrophic gyres due to increased storm-induced nutrient supply end enhanced winter production during the short term stratification events thatare resolved in the run forced by 6 h meteorological fields. By resolving the diurnal cycle, model performance was significantly improved with respect to several common problems:underestimated primary production in the oligotrophic gyres; overestimated primary production in the Southern Ocean; overestimated magnitude of the spring bloom in the subarctic Pacific Ocean, and overestimated primary production in equatorial areas. The result of using 6 h forcing on predicted ecosystem dynamics was profound, the effects persisting far beyond the hourly timescale, and having major consequences for predicted global and new production on an annual basis.

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Published date: 2006

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 43920
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/43920
ISSN: 1812-0792
PURE UUID: 4f6879b5-6500-4ad0-978a-3fbd349faffa

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Date deposited: 01 Feb 2007
Last modified: 07 Jan 2022 22:27

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Contributors

Author: E.E. Popova
Author: A.C. Coward
Author: G.A. Nurser
Author: B. de Cuevas
Author: T.R. Anderson

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