Abstract
Shelf and coastal seas are regions of exceptionally high biological productivity, high rates of biogeochemical cycling and immense socio-economic importance. They are, however, poorly represented by the present generation of Earth system models, both in terms of resolution and process representation. Hence, these models cannot be used to elucidate the role of the coastal ocean in global biogeochemical cycles and the effects global change (both direct anthropogenic and climatic) are having on them. Here, we present a system for simulating all the coastal regions around the world (the Global Coastal Ocean Modelling System) in a systematic and practical fashion. It is based on automatically generating multiple nested model domains, using the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory Coastal Ocean Modelling System coupled to the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model. Preliminary results from the system are presented. These demonstrate the viability of the concept, and we discuss the prospects for using the system to explore key areas of global change in shelf seas, such as their role in the carbon cycle and climate change effects on fisheries.
Highlights
Shelf and coastal seas are regions of exceptionally high biological productivity, high rates of biogeochemical cycling and immense socio-economic importance. They are, poorly represented by the present generation of Earth system models, both in terms of resolution and process representation. These models cannot be used to elucidate the role of the coastal ocean in global biogeochemical cycles and the effects global change are having on them
We present a system for simulating all the coastal regions around the world in a systematic and practical fashion
It is based on automatically generating multiple nested model domains, using the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory Coastal Ocean Modelling System coupled to the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model
Summary
Shelf and coastal seas play an important but largely unquantified role in the Earth system. Their important role is due to their exceptionally high biological productivity and close interaction with human activity. Primary production draws down atmospheric CO2, but unlike in the open ocean, where particulate carbon can sink directly to the deep ocean and be removed from contact with the atmosphere, the shelf-sea carbon pump (Tsunogai et al 1999) often requires lateral transport to remove carbon from the ventilated surface waters. It is apparent that the coastal seas are vitally important both as part of the Earth system and from a socio-economic standpoint
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