Abstract
Sea ice is a fundamental component of the climate system and plays a key role in polar trophic food webs. Nonetheless sea ice biogeochemical dynamics at large temporal and spatial scales are still rarely described. Numerical models may potentially contribute integrating among sparse observations, but available models of sea ice biogeochemistry are still scarce, whether their relevance for properly describing the current and future state of the polar oceans has been recently addressed. A general methodology to develop a sea ice biogeochemical model is presented, deriving it from an existing validated model application by extension of generic pelagic biogeochemistry model parameterizations. The described methodology is flexible and considers different levels of ecosystem complexity and vertical representation, while adopting a strategy of coupling that ensures mass conservation. We show how to apply this methodology step by step by building an intermediate complexity model from a published realistic application and applying it to analyze theoretically a typical season of first-year sea ice in the Arctic, the one currently needing the most urgent understanding. The aim is to (1) introduce sea ice biogeochemistry and address its relevance to ocean modelers of polar regions, supporting them in adding a new sea ice component to their modelling framework for a more adequate representation of the sea ice-covered ocean ecosystem as a whole, and (2) extend our knowledge on the relevant controlling factors of sea ice algal production, showing that beyond the light and nutrient availability, the duration of the sea ice season may play a key-role shaping the algal production during the on going and upcoming projected changes.
Highlights
Sea ice plays a key role in the climate system [1], mainly due to the albedo positive feedback [2] and to the amplified climate changes undergoing in sea ice-covered regions [3]
We develop a methodology to build sea ice biogeochemical models starting from a pelagic biogeochemical model and including the key functional types found in sea ice
While this may be true for specific processes that are still difficult to quantify in a general framework, most main physiological and ecological processes that occur in sea ice are the same as in seawater: e.g. photosynthesis, respiration, exudation, remineralization
Summary
Sea ice plays a key role in the climate system [1], mainly due to the albedo positive feedback [2] and to the amplified climate changes undergoing in sea ice-covered regions [3]. The ice-associated (sympagic) biology has a key role in winter ecology of ice-covered waters [4]. During winter months sea ice algae are essential to overwintering zooplankton, being the only food source available [5]. Most of the regions seasonally covered by sea ice are the most productive of the oceans, with a shorter production season but more intense algal blooms The presence of sea ice affects the pelagic dynamics: under-ice phytoplankton blooms can be massive when compared to adjacent open water areas [12]
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