An ecological-physical coupled model applied to Station Papa

A vertical one-dimensional ecosystem model was constructed and applied to Station Papa. The model has seven compartments (phytoplankton, nitrate, ammonium, zooplankton, particulate organic matters, dissolved organic matters, dissolved oxygen) and was coupled with a mixed layer model for calculating diffusion coefficient which appears in the governing equations. The mixed layer model was driven by SST, SSS data observed at Station Papa in 1980 and ECMWF wind data for 1980, and the ecosystem model was driven by fixing nitrate concentration in deep layer to an observational value. The phytoplankton maximum in March was reproduced by the model although the maximum in fall-winter could not be reproduced. The model also suggests the importance of studying nitrification. As a whole, the model could reproduce characteristic features at Station Papa such as the summer ammonium maximum at 50 m depth, the summer dissolved oxygen maximum at 70 m depth and the absence of remarkable phytoplankton bloom.