Open AccessInfluence of (sub)mesoscale eddies on the soft‐tissue carbon pump
Author(s) -
Omta Anne Willem,
Kooijman Bas,
Dijkstra Henk
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2007jc004189
Subject(s) - eddy , breakup , mechanics , plankton , flow (mathematics) , environmental science , large eddy simulation , turbulence , physics , geology , oceanography
In an idealized situation of a baroclinically unstable single eddy, we study the impact of eddy‐induced mixing on the soft‐tissue carbon pump. The new element here is the coupling of a three‐dimensional nonhydrostatic ocean model with a physiological plankton model that is able to represent a variable plankton C:N ratio. During the development and breakup of the eddy, a complicated vertical velocity field appears. The processes of transport and plankton growth, as well as the effect of the flow on the C:N ratio, are studied in detail. The physical processes associated with eddy breakup have a strong impact on the local environment in which the plankton grows. The changes in the local environment lead to a decrease of the C:N ratio (about 30% throughout the upper 150 m of the domain) and hence a weakening of the soft‐tissue carbon pump. According to a sensitivity analysis, the decrease of the C:N ratio as a consequence of the flow field appears robust; it does not depend on specific parameter values in the model.