Marine carbon dynamics

Model : marinecarbon1
Simile version : 3.1+
Date added : 2003-06-25
Keywords : Carbon dynamics ; Climate change ; Marine ;

Description

This is the Anderson and Williams (1998) model, but parameterised for a station at 47N 20W in the North Atlantic (so no sediment compartment - the model has an upper mixed layer in which the ecosystem operates, and assumes a deep homogeneous layer below that).

Files

Model file Click on the icon to download the model file. (You will need Simile to examine and run the model. A free evaluation version is available from the products page.) Some browsers may attempt to display the model file, rather than open it in Simile; in this case, use the browser back button to return to this page, and use the context menu (invoked by right-clicking on the link) to save the target file to disk.

marinecarbon1.sml

Diagram

The following images show all the submodels. For the sake of clarity, all influence arrows have been suppressed.

Equations

View the model equations.

Results

Run the model and you’ll see that nutrient N is high over winter (the phytoplankton cannot use it because the mixed layer is deep and hence average light intensity too low), then in spring the phytoplankton (P) bloom as the mixed layer shallows and is halted when nutrients run out. There’s another bloom in autumn as nutrients are re-entrained into the surface mixed layer as it starts to deepen again.

References

Anderson, T.W. and Williams, P.J. le B. (1998)
Modelling the seasonal cycle of dissolved organic matter at Station E1 in the English Channel.
Est. Coastal Shelf Science 46: 93-109

Copyright 2003-2024 Simulistics Ltd