ROMS NPZ prediction live

In collaboration with Prof. Fei Chai at University of Maine, we have successfully coupled ROMS circulation/tides with a NPZ model, known as CoSINE (Carbon, Si(OH)4, Nitrogen Ecosystem) ecosystem model. The CoSINE model includes silicate, nitrate and ammonium, two phytoplankton groups, two zooplankton grazers, two detrital pools, TCO2 and recently oxygen has been added to constrain remineralization processes in the model. The CoSINE model has been applied to North Pacific, the equatorial Pacific, and the California coastal upwelling system. Below the euphotic zone, sinking particulate organic matter is converted to inorganic nutrients by a regeneration process, in which organic matter decays to ammonium and then is nitrified to NO3. Incorporating oxygen into the ecosystem model adds extra constraints on the treatment of regeneration processes in the model, and there are many dissolved oxygen measurements for the Prince William Sound. Silicate regeneration is modeled through a similar approach but with a deeper regeneration depth profile, which reflects the tendency of biogenic silica to have higher preservation efficiency compared to other particulate organic matter.

You can access the most updated CoSINE/NPZ model prediction at http://ourocean.jpl.nasa.gov/PWSBIO/. If you have any questions or need to see more images and access the data, please contact Dr. Yi Chao and/or Prof. Fei Chai (fchai@maine.edu). Dr. Rob Campbell from the PWS science center will collect biological samples during the field experiment with a goal to assess the biological model performance and prediction skill.