Abstract. Biogeochemical models that simulate realistic lower trophic levels dynamics, including the representation of main phytoplankton and zooplankton functional groups, are valuable tools for our understanding of natural and anthropogenic disturbances in marine ecosystems. However, previous three-dimensional biogeochemical modeling studies in the northern and deep Gulf of Mexico (GoM) have used only one phytoplankton and one zooplankton type. To advance our modeling capability of the GoM ecosystem and to investigate the dominant spatial and seasonal patterns phytoplankton biomass, we configured a 14-component biogeochemical model that explicitly represents nanophytoplankton, diatoms, micro-, and mesozooplankton. Our model outputs compare well with satellite and in situ observations, reproducing dominant seasonal patterns in chlorophyll and primary production. The model results show that diatom growth is strongly silica limited (> 95 %) in the deep GoM, and both nitrogen and silica limited (30–70 %) in the northern shelf. Nanophytoplankton growth is weakly nutrient limited in the Mississippi delta year-round (
Dissolved oxygen variability of Indonesian seas over decades as detected by satellite remote sensing
