A Numerical Simulation on the Mesoscale Dynamics of the Spring Bloom in the Sea of Japan

The northward migration of spring bloom was observed in the Sea of Japan from April to May 1997 by the Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) on board the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS). This phenomenon is well simulated with a numerical ecosystem model coupled with a hydrodynamic model. The hydrodynamic model is the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) Modular Ocean Model (MOM). The ecosystem model consists of five components: dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus. Results of the numerical ecosystem model suggest that the mesoscale development of the spring bloom in the Sea of Japan is related to that of sea water temperature, and that the bloom is limited by the depletion of DIN. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.