scholarly journals Unique role of jellyfish in the plankton ecosystem revealed using a global ocean biogeochemical model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Mary Wright ◽  
Corinne Le Quéré ◽  
Erik Buitenhuis ◽  
Sophie Pitois ◽  
Mark Gibbons
Keyword(s):  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Plankton Community ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Ocean Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. Jellyfish are increasingly recognised as important components of the marine ecosystem, yet their specific role is poorly defined compared to that of other zooplankton groups. This paper presents the first global ocean biogeochemical model that includes an explicit representation of jellyfish, and uses the model to gain insight into the influence of jellyfish on the plankton community. The PlankTOM11 model groups organisms into Plankton Functional Types (PFT). The jellyfish PFT is parameterised here based on our synthesis of observations on jellyfish growth, grazing, respiration and mortality rates as functions of temperature and on jellyfish biomass. The distribution of jellyfish is unique compared to that of other PFTs in the model. The jellyfish global biomass of 0.13 PgC is within the observational range, and comparable to the biomass of other zooplankton and phytoplankton PFTs. The introduction of jellyfish in the model has a large direct influence on the crustacean macrozooplankton PFT, and influences indirectly the rest of the plankton ecosystem through trophic cascades. The zooplankton community in PlankTOM11 is highly sensitive to the jellyfish mortality rate, with jellyfish increasingly dominating the zooplankton community as its mortality diminishes. Overall the results suggest that jellyfish play an important and unique role in regulating marine plankton ecosystems, which has been neglected so far. 

scholarly journals Role of jellyfish in the plankton ecosystem revealed using a global ocean biogeochemical model

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1291-1320
Author(s):  
Rebecca M. Wright ◽  
Corinne Le Quéré ◽  
Erik Buitenhuis ◽  
Sophie Pitois ◽  
Mark J. Gibbons
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Plankton Community ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Ocean Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Plankton Community Structure

Abstract. Jellyfish are increasingly recognised as important components of the marine ecosystem, yet their specific role is poorly defined compared to that of other zooplankton groups. This paper presents the first global ocean biogeochemical model that includes an explicit representation of jellyfish and uses the model to gain insight into the influence of jellyfish on the plankton community. The Plankton Type Ocean Model (PlankTOM11) model groups organisms into plankton functional types (PFTs). The jellyfish PFT is parameterised here based on our synthesis of observations on jellyfish growth, grazing, respiration and mortality rates as functions of temperature and jellyfish biomass. The distribution of jellyfish is unique compared to that of other PFTs in the model. The jellyfish global biomass of 0.13 PgC is within the observational range and comparable to the biomass of other zooplankton and phytoplankton PFTs. The introduction of jellyfish in the model has a large direct influence on the crustacean macrozooplankton PFT and influences indirectly the rest of the plankton ecosystem through trophic cascades. The zooplankton community in PlankTOM11 is highly sensitive to the jellyfish mortality rate, with jellyfish increasingly dominating the zooplankton community as its mortality diminishes. Overall, the results suggest that jellyfish play an important role in regulating global marine plankton ecosystems across plankton community structure, spatio-temporal dynamics and biomass, which is a role that has been generally neglected so far.

scholarly journals Assessing the Role of High‐Frequency Winds and Sea Ice Loss on Arctic Phytoplankton Blooms in an Ice‐Ocean‐Biogeochemical Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 124 (9) ◽  
pp. 2728-2750 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Castro de la Guardia ◽  
Y. Garcia‐Quintana ◽  
M. Claret ◽  
X. Hu ◽  
E. D. Galbraith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Phytoplankton Blooms ◽  
Ocean Biogeochemical Model

scholarly journals PISCES-v2: an ocean biogeochemical model for carbon and ecosystem studies

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1375-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Aumont ◽  
C. Ethé ◽  
A. Tagliabue ◽  
L. Bopp ◽  
M. Gehlen
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Full Description ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Ecosystem Studies ◽  
Ocean Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Iron Chemistry ◽  
Steady State Simulation

Abstract. PISCES-v2 is a biogeochemical model which simulates the lower trophic levels of marine ecosystem (phytoplankton, microzooplankton and mesozooplankton) and the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and of the main nutrients (P, N, Fe, and Si). The model is intended to be used for both regional and global configurations at high or low spatial resolutions as well as for short-term (seasonal, interannual) and long-term (climate change, paleoceanography) analyses. There are twenty-four prognostic variables (tracers) including two phytoplankton compartments (diatoms and nanophytoplankton), two zooplankton size-classes (microzooplankton and mesozooplankton) and a description of the carbonate chemistry. Formulations in PISCES-v2 are based on a mixed Monod–Quota formalism: on one hand, stoichiometry of C/N/P is fixed and growth rate of phytoplankton is limited by the external availability in N, P and Si. On the other hand, the iron and silicium quotas are variable and growth rate of phytoplankton is limited by the internal availability in Fe. Various parameterizations can be activated in PISCES-v2, setting for instance the complexity of iron chemistry or the description of particulate organic materials. So far, PISCES-v2 has been coupled to the NEMO and ROMS systems. A full description of PISCES-v2 and of its optional functionalities is provided here. The results of a quasi-steady state simulation are presented and evaluated against diverse observational and satellite-derived data. Finally, some of the new functionalities of PISCES-v2 are tested in a series of sensitivity experiments.

scholarly journals A reactivity continuum of particulate organic matter in a global ocean biogeochemical model

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Aumont ◽  
Marco van Hulten ◽  
Matthieu Roy-Barman ◽  
Jean-Claude Dutay ◽  
Christian Ethé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Sediment Oxygen Demand ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Mesopelagic Zone ◽  
Ocean Biogeochemical Model ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Reactivity Continuum

Abstract. The marine biological carbon pump is dominated by the vertical transfer of Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) from the surface ocean to its interior. The efficiency of this transfer plays an important role in controlling the amount of atmospheric carbon that is sequestered in the ocean. Furthermore, the abundance and composition of POC is critical for the removal of numerous trace elements by scavenging, a number of which such as iron are essential for the growth of marine organisms, including phytoplankton. Observations and laboratory experiments have shown that POC is composed of numerous organic compounds that can have very different reactivities. Yet, this variable reactivity of POC has never been extensively considered, especially in modeling studies. Here, we introduced in the global ocean biogeochemical model NEMO-PISCES a description of the variable composition of POC based on the theoretical Reactivity Continuum Model proposed by (Boudreau and Ruddick, 1991). Our model experiments show that accounting for a variable lability of POC increases POC concentrations in the ocean’s interior by one to two orders of magnitude. This increase is mainly the consequence of a better preservation of small particles that sink slowly from the surface. Comparison with observations is significantly improved both in abundance and in size distribution. Furthermore, the amount of carbon that reaches the sediments is increased by more than a factor of two, which is in better agreement with global estimates of the sediment oxygen demand. The impact on the major macro-nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) remains modest. However, iron (Fe) distribution is strongly altered, especially in the upper mesopelagic zone as a result of more intense scavenging: Vertical gradients in Fe are milder in the upper ocean which appears to be closer to observations. Thus, our study shows that the variable lability of POC can play a critical role in the marine biogeochemical cycles which advocates for more dedicated in situ and laboratory experiments.

scholarly journals Simulating trawl herding in flatfish: the role of fish length in behaviour and swimming characteristics

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 1179-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Winger ◽  
Stephen J. Walsh ◽  
Pingguo He ◽  
Joseph A. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Modeling ◽  
Fish Length ◽  
Fish Behaviour ◽  
Settling Behaviour ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Species Population ◽  
Swimming Kinematics ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Hippoglossoides Platessoides

Abstract Theoretical modeling indicates that the herding efficiency of flatfish by bottom-trawl sweeps is highly sensitive to subtle changes in fish behaviour. Yet the degree of variation in herding behaviour within a species, population, or individual remains poorly understood because of the difficulty observing and measuring fish behaviour in this region of the gear. The purpose of this study was to simulate herding under laboratory conditions in order to examine the behaviour and swimming characteristics of flatfish. Using a large flume equipped with a moving floor, we examined the effect of fish length on gait use, behaviour, and swimming kinematics in American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides). While swimming at a speed comparable to the herding speed of trawl sweeps (0.3 m s−1), smaller plaice (<30 cm) spent a large percentage of time using the kick-swim gait, while larger fish (≥30 cm) preferred cruising. In total, 65% of plaice exhibited settling behaviour, analogous to the swim-and-settle behaviour observed in response to trawl sweeps. The frequency of this behaviour and the distance swum between settles were independent of fish length. Only the frequency of gliding changed with the duration of swimming. Like other teleost species, tailbeat frequency decreased with increasing fish length. The results from this study indicate that fish length affects gait use and swimming kinematics in flatfish, but not the frequency of gliding and settling behaviours. These observations support the hypothesis of size-selective herding and provide further insight into the herding efficiency of trawl sweeps.

Hydrogen bonded supramolecular structures: a further insight into the diamine-diol recognition and self-assembly

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 723-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Roelens ◽  
Paolo Dapporto ◽  
Paola Paoli
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Recognition ◽  
Gas Phase ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Supramolecular Assembly ◽  
Supramolecular Structures ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Molecular Code ◽  
Insight Into

A new H-bonded supramolecular assembly of the diamine-diol family has been obtained from (1R,2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DAC) and (S)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol (PED). The structure was characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis and showed the typical architecture of DAC based assemblies, consisting of a three-stranded helicate coiling around a H-bonded core, with a predictable helicity sense determined by the configuration of DAC. The new assembly, while reconfirming the unique role of DAC as a powerful assembler of supramolecular structures, demonstrated that the C2 symmetry of diol partners employed so far is not essential for assembling helicates, although chirality is. In the case of the adduct between (1R,2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane and (2R,3R)-2,3-butanediol, molecular recognition and self-assembly have been shown to take place even in the absence of solvent, in the gas phase, where long crystals were formed by spontaneous organized aggregation of diamine-diol units. A thorough analysis of the results from the present and previous investigations has lead to a deeper understanding of the key features of the diamine-diol molecular code and of the requirements for recognition and assembly.Key words: supramolecular, hydrogen bonding, molecular recognition, self-assembly, diamines, diols.

scholarly journals A derivative-free optimisation method for global ocean biogeochemical models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophy Elizabeth Oliver ◽  
Coralia Cartis ◽  
Iris Kriest ◽  
Simon F. B. Tett ◽  
Samar Khatiwala
Keyword(s):  
Global Ocean ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Biogeochemical Models ◽  
Derivative Free ◽  
Observational Uncertainty ◽  
Parameter Configuration ◽  
Ocean Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Observational Noise ◽  
Parameter Values ◽  
Earth System Models

Abstract. The performance of global ocean biogeochemical models, and the Earth System Models in which they are embedded, can be improved by systematic calibration of the parameter values against observations. However, such tuning is seldom undertaken as these models are computationally very expensive. Here we investigate the performance of DFO-LS, a local, derivative-free optimisation algorithm which has been designed for computationally expensive models with irregular model-data misfit landscapes typical of biogeochemical models. We use DFO-LS to calibrate six parameters of a relatively complex global ocean biogeochemical model (MOPS) against synthetic dissolved oxygen, inorganic phosphate and inorganic nitrate observations from a reference run of the same model with a known parameter configuration. The performance of DFO-LS is compared with that of CMA-ES, another derivative-free algorithm that was applied in a previous study to the same model in one of the first successful attempts at calibrating a global model of this complexity. We find that DFO-LS successfully recovers 5 of the 6 parameters in approximately 40 evaluations of the misfit function (each one requiring a 3000 year run of MOPS to equilibrium), while CMA-ES needs over 1200 evaluations. Moreover, DFO-LS reached a baseline misfit, defined by observational noise, in just 11–14 evaluations, whereas CMA-ES required approximately 340 evaluations. We also find that the performance of DFO-LS is not significantly affected by observational sparsity, however fewer parameters were successfully optimised in the presence of observational uncertainty. The results presented here suggest that DFO-LS is sufficiently inexpensive and robust to apply to the calibration of complex, global ocean biogeochemical models.

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