NPZ Models of Plankton Dynamics: Their Construction, Coupling to Physics, and Application

Nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton (NPZ) models have been in use in oceanography for at least three decades, and are still a common research tool. Given the discoveries of the last two decades, particularly concerning the role of bacteria in the plankton, there are questions as to whether NPZ models can still be supported as a useful tool in planktonic research. Here I review the construction of NPZ models, and some of the physical platforms they have been coupled to. I then discuss the applications of NPZ-physical models, and conclude that they still constitute an important and viable research tool, provided that the questions being explored are clearly stated. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Microcoleus autumnalis and filamentous algae-dominated mats and chlorophyll-a increase with agricultural land use but respond differently to associated nutrient and sediment enrichment

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the impact of pastoral land use and nutrient and fine sediment inputs on Microcoleus autumnalis and filamentous algae-dominated mats, and benthic chlorophyll-a in streams (lower North Island, New Zealand). Surveying and sampling was undertaken monthly at 61 sites spanning a wide gradient in catchment cover and environmental conditions. Two boosted regression tree models were built. The first models included pastoral land cover and five environmental variables as predictors. In the second model pastoral land cover was replaced by nutrient/sediment data. The abundance of the two mat types and chlorophyll-a increased when pastoral land cover was between 20% and 70% (model 1). Replacement of pastoral land cover by nutrient/sediment data (model 2) slightly improved the model fit for all three periphyton variables. Microcoleus autumnalis-dominant mats increased with dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations up to ca. 0.6?mg?L^?1, and in streams with more frequent flushes. In contrast, filamentous algal-dominated mats increased with turbidity, and in streams with less frequent flushes. Chlorophyll-a generally followed the response of the dominant periphyton type. Increased knowledge on responses of specific periphyton types, rather than total biomass, to environmental variables is essential to guide effective management strategies.     

Wave reflection from partially perforated-wall caisson breakwater

In 1995, Suh and Park developed a numerical model that computes the reflection of regular waves from a fully perforated-wall caisson breakwater. This paper describes how to apply this model to a partially perforated-wall caisson and irregular waves. To examine the performance of the model, existing experimental data are used for regular waves, while a laboratory experiment is conducted in this study for irregular waves. The numerical model based on a linear wave theory tends to over-predict the reflection coefficient of regular waves as the wave nonlinearity increases, but such an over-prediction is not observed in the case of irregular waves. For both regular and irregular waves, the numerical model slightly over- and under-predicts the reflection coefficients at larger and smaller values, respectively, because the model neglects the evanescent waves near the breakwater.     

The dynamic behaviour of a river-dominated tidal inlet, River Murray, Australia

Australia's largest river, the River Murray, discharges to the southern ocean through a coastal lagoon and river-dominated tidal inlet. Increased water extractions upstream for irrigation have led to significantly reduced flows at the mouth and, as a result, the area is undergoing rapid change, particularly with regard to the rate at which sediment is being transported into the lagoon. Based on detailed and accurate bathymetric surveys it has been possible to estimate that the rate of lagoon in-filling is of the order of 100,000 m³ per year for the period June 2000 to May 2003, although the actual rate shows significant year to year variability. Dredging of the lagoon commenced in 2000 in an attempt to reverse the trend.In an effort to understand the behaviour of the inlet a one-dimensional numerical model of the inlet has been developed. The model extends the original of van de Kreeke by including a dynamic inlet throat area based on predicted river flows and a sediment transport module to predict the resulting net sediment transport. Comparisons with water level data collected on both the ocean and lagoon sides of the mouth have shown that the model is able to predict the attenuation and lag of the tidal signal reasonably well. The sediment transport model was based on predicted sediment concentrations in the surf zone and was found to predict the rate of sediment in-filling to an acceptable level of accuracy. It is envisaged that the model will be a useful management tool, especially since it is possible to manipulate river discharges to the mouth.     

A singular evolutive extended Kalman filter to assimilate ocean color data in a coupled physical–biochemical model of the North Atlantic ocean

Within the European DIADEM project, a data assimilation system for coupled ocean circulation and marine ecosystem models has been implemented for the North Atlantic and the Nordic Seas. One objective of this project is to demonstrate the relevance of sophisticated methods to assimilate satellite data such as altimetry, surface temperature and ocean color, into realistic ocean models. In this paper, the singular evolutive extended Kalman (SEEK) filter, which is an advanced assimilation scheme where three-dimensional, multivariate error statistics are taken into account, is used to assimilate ocean color data into the biological component of the coupled system. The marine ecosystem model, derived from the FDM model [J. Mar. Res. 48 (1990) 591], includes 11 nitrogen and carbon compartments and describes the synthesis of organic matter in the euphotic zone, its consumption by animals of upper trophic levels, and the recycling of detritic material in the deep ocean. The circulation model coupled to the ecosystem is the Miami isopycnic coordinate ocean model (MICOM), which covers the Atlantic and the Arctic Oceans with an enhanced resolution in the North Atlantic basin. The model is forced with realistic ECMWF ocean/atmosphere fluxes, which permits to resolve the seasonal variability of the circulation and mixed layer properties. In the twin assimimation experiments reported here, the predictions of the coupled model are corrected every 10 days using pseudo-measurements of surface phytoplankton as a substitute to chlorophyll concentrations measured from space. The diagnostics of these experiments indicate that the assimilation is feasible with a reduced-order Kalman filter of small rank (of order 10) as long as a sufficiently good identification of the error structure is available. In addition, the control of non-observed quantities such as zooplankton and nitrate concentrations is made possible, owing to the multivariate nature of the analysis scheme. However, a too severe truncation of the error sub-space downgrades the propagation of surface information below the mixed layer. The reduction of the actual state vector to the surface layers is therefore investigated to improve the estimation process in the perspective of sea-viewing wide field-of-view sensor (SeaWiFS) data assimilation experiments.     

Intercomparison of coastal area morphodynamic models

Five different coastal area morphodynamic models have been set up to run on the same offshore breakwater layout and an intercomparison carried out on the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic output produced by each scheme. In addition, the predicted morphodynamics was checked against available laboratory and field data.It is concluded that the models are capable of producing realistic estimates for the dominant morphodynamic features associated with offshore breakwaters. Coupling of the wave, current and sediment transport components of each scheme is shown to yield bathymetry which attains a state of equilibrium, unlike models which are based on the initial transport field only.     

汶川抗震救灾的基础地理信息综合应急服务

在5．12汶川特大地震抗震救灾中,国家测绘部门设计和组织实施了以数据成果服务、专用系统服务和专题制图服务为核心的基础地理信息综合应急服务。其是针对汶川震区地形特点和抗震救灾主体工作需求,快速整合和提供震区已有的基础测绘成果和最新遥感影像资料;快速搭建集震区海量数据集成管理为一体并具备3维影像浏览、对比分析等功能的专用地理信息系统,为灾情评估分析和重建规划研究提供地理空间数据集成展示和分析平台;应需地制作反映受灾范围、受灾程度、救灾响应、规划思路等的各类专题地图和地图集,有效地表达地震灾害的时空分布、重建规划布局等。     

汶川地震山地灾害遥感快速提取及其分布特点分析

针对泥石流滑坡灾害体特有的物质组成与活动特点,通过比较分析其在不同遥感影像的光谱特征差异,选择ETM+影像作为主要数据源,提取湿度指数与绿度指数,利用ETM+的穗帽变换、影像差值增强、密度分割和掩膜技术建立了泥石流滑坡山地灾害快速提取模型,并用于汶川地震.通过灾害体的提取,分析了本次地震山地次生灾害的分布规律,利用空间叠加进行了成因的分析.本次地震山地灾害具有如下特点:(1)沿主要地表破裂带分布;(2)山地灾害主要出现在8度-9度地震烈度区,随着烈度的降低,山地灾害的总面积也相应的减少;(3)山地灾害主要发生在海拔高度1000-2500m的地带;(4)主要发生在坡度20°-50°之间的边坡上;(5)地震及余震期间以崩塌滑坡滚石为主,后期以泥石流滑坡为主;(6)具有河流左右两岸呈不对称分布等特点.结果表明,利用ETM+影像建立基于湿度指数与绿度指数的快速提取模型,对于大规模泥石流滑坡提取效果较好,进行大区域山地灾害的遥感快速提取是可行的.