Open AccessModeling Neodymium Isotopes in the Ocean Component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM1)
Author(s) -
Gu Sifan,
Liu Zhengyu,
Jahn Alexandra,
Rempfer Johannes,
Zhang Jiaxu,
Joos Fortunat
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of advances in modeling earth systems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.03
H-Index - 58
ISSN - 1942-2466
DOI - 10.1029/2018ms001538
Subject(s) - tracer , environmental science , ocean current , neodymium , oceanography , water mass , earth system science , geology , climatology , atmospheric sciences , physics , laser , nuclear physics , optics
Neodymium (Nd) isotopic composition ( ε Nd ) is an important tracer for water mass mixing and the reconstruction of past ocean circulation. To allow for a direct model‐data comparison, we have implemented Nd isotopes in the ocean component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM1.3). The model is able to capture the major features of the observed modern distribution of both ε Nd and Nd concentrations. Our model provides a useful tool for the interpretation of ε Nd reconstructions. For example, we show that in an idealized North Atlantic freshwater hosing experiment, ε Nd changes in the Atlantic are documenting primarily the changes in water mass mixing and are hardly affected by the concomitant and large changes in the marine biological productivity and organic matter fluxes. However, the hosing experiment also shows that the end‐member changes due to the change of ocean circulation can influence the interpretation of ε Nd in the Atlantic, depending on the location. The implementation of Nd, together with other existing tracers, such as δ 18 O, 231 Pa/ 230 Th, δ 13 C, and radiocarbon in the same model, can improve our understanding of past ocean circulation significantly.