Three-component (NPZ), four-component (NPZD), and five-component (NNPZD) nitrogen-based ecosystem models are compared. The fixed points of the zerodimensional systems, with no spatial variation except light attenuation by water, are determined. A linear-stability analysis shows that unstable steady solutions exist for all three models. Time-periodic solutions are found in these regions....
The behavior of three ecosystem models is analyzed for upwelling off the Oregon coast as a function of the number of model components. The first ecosystem model includes dissolved inorganic nitrogen-phytoplankton-zooplankton (NPZ), the second (NPZD) adds detritus, and the third (NNPZD) splits the nutrients into nitrate and ammonium. The models...
Three-dimensional ecosystem response to wind forcing on the continental shelf off Oregon is studied using a five-component nitrogen-based ecosystem model coupled to a high-resolution circulation model. We investigate, in particular, the influence of timedependent winds and alongshore variations in shelf topography for summer 2001 during the time period of the...
Dynamical assimilation of surface elevation from tide gauges is investigated to estimate the bottom drag coefficient and surface stress as a first step in improving modeled tidal and wind-driven circulation in the Chesapeake Bay. A two-dimensional shallow water model and an adjoint variational method with a limited memory quasi-Newton optimization...
We conducted laboratory experiments to assess the bioelemental plasticity of cultures of Trichodesmium
IMS101 under phosphorus (P)-replete, P-restricted, and light-limited conditions. The results reveal a high degree
of stoichiometric flexibility. Specifically, Trichodesmium IMS101 is capable of growth with carbon (C) : nitrogen
(N) : P ratios of C₅₈₅±₅₆ : N₉₀±₁₀...
THE ROLE OF THE OCEANS in Earth systems ecology, and the effects of climate variability on the ocean and its ecosystems, can be understood only by observing, describing, and ultimately predicting the state of the ocean as a physically forced ecological and biogeochemical system. This is a daunting but exciting...