Coupled hydrodynamic ecosystem models
Given the practical difficulty and expense of obtaining
measurements in the ocean, modelling provides an attractive
capability to extrapolate and generate the bigger picture. However,
the incredible complexity of the marine ecosystem poses a huge
challenge to model based science.
Hydrodynamic models describe the motion of water in the ocean as
well as the transport and fate of chemical components, whereas an
ecosystem model describes the biology within the ocean. By
developing and improving physical and biological models together,
an interdisciplinary approach can be taken to help answer questions
about the functioning of the marine ecosystem and, in particular,
the global role of these ecosystems in biogeochemical cycles.
The ecosystem modelling group at PML has nearly 20 years of
experience in the development and application of numerical models
for the study of marine ecosystems. The development of the
modelling framework and quality control for the European Regional
Seas Ecosystem Model (ERSEM) was undertaken at PML and scientists
are actively engaged in coupling ERSEM to a variety of hydrodynamic
models on a range of platforms, from PCs to supercomputers. The
ERSEM model has also been extended to include the carbonate cycle,
enabling predictions in relation to future ocean acidification
scenarios.
Projects
- Advances in Marine Ecosystem Modelling Research
(AMEMR)
A series of symposia and workshops have been
organised by PML on Advances in Marine Ecosystem Modelling with the
next symposium scheduled to be held in Plymouth in June
2011.
-
Global modelling:
European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model
(ERSEM)
ERSEM was developed in the 1990s to
simulate carbon and nutrient cycling and ecosystem response in
European shelf seas and PML was part of the original consortium.
Since the end of the original programme PML scientists have been
developing the original model and applications in a number of
fields. ERSEM is currently one of the most complex lower
trophic level models in use and its philosophy is to include all
processes that may significantly influence ecosystem
dynamics.