Research
Non-belspo (2000-2003)
IRONAGES - Iron Resources and oceanic nutrients-Advancement of Global Environment Simulations
Project description
The work outlined seeked to better model marine ecosystems and the sources and sinks of C, N and other elements within those systems, assuming that a number of factors (notably light, N, P, Si, Fe) are co-limiting plankton blooms. This goal had to be achieved through a combination of laboratory experiments, fieldwork and modelling. Laboratory work targeted the predominant algal species of the major taxonomic groups to determine their growth as a function of multiple stresses, such as limitations of iron, light and macronutrients. This data had then to be used to refine and improve ocean ecosystem models, with the aim to more accurately replicating observations of the natural system.
New realistic OBCM' s had to be developed for budgeting and exchanges of both CO2 and DMS, implementing
(I) co-limitation by 4 nutrients of 5 major taxonomic classes
of phyto-plankton,
(II) DMS (P) pathways,
(III) global iron cycling,
(IV) chemical forms of iron
(V) iron supply into surface waters.
Input from below of iron from anoxic sediments
of coastal margins had to be assessed along a 2-D vertical section from Europe
into the centre of the north Atlantic. Input from above of Fe (II)
dissolved in rainwater from Sahara dust blown over the central
Atlantic had to be quantified at sea, and related to observed
plankton production, CO2 gas exchange and DMS emission. Different
chemical forms of iron had to be analysed and rigorous certification
of all Fe in seawater data had to be ensured. For 2 major DMS-producing
algal groups the life cycle, Fe limitation, export production,
CO2 uptake and DMS emissions had to be synthesised from existing
literature and laboratory experiments. Experimental data had
to be fed into an ecosystem model. Also DMS (P) pathway modeling
had to be carried out being expanded with 3 other groups of
algal and DMS (P) pathways. The extended ecosystem model had
to provide reliable output for CO2/DMS gas exchange being implemented
into two existing OBCM' s. Next climate change scenario' notably
changes in Fe inputs, had to be run, with special attention to
climatic feedback (warming) on the oceanic cycles and fluxes.
Complementary resources about this scientific project
Project team
Coordinator:
Prof. Dr. Ir. H.J.W. de Baar
Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
P.O.Box 59, NL-1790 AB Den Burg
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 222 369465
debaar@nioz.nl
Involved research group:
Dr. Christiane Lancelot
ESA (Ecologie des Systemes Aquatiques)
Université Libre de Bruxelles
Campus Plaine CP 221
B-1050 Bruxelles
Belgium
lancelot@ulb.ac.be
www.ulb.ac.be/assoc/esa/index.htm
Prof. Dr. Dieter Wolf-Gladrow
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
Postfach 12 01 61
D - 27515 Bremerhaven
Federal Republic of Germany
wolf@AWI-bremerhaven.de
Prof. Tim Jickells
School of Environmental Sciences
University of East Anglia
Norwich NR4 7TJ
United Kingdom
T.Jickells@uea.ac.uk
Prof. Paul Treguer /Prof. Stephane
Blain
UMR CNRS 6539
Institut Universitaire Europeen de la Mer
Technopole Brest-Iroise
Place Copernic
29280 PLOUZANE
France
Paul.Treguer@univ-brest.fr
Prof. Paul Worsfold
Department of Environmental Sciences
Plymouth Environmental Research Centre
University of Plymouth
Plymouth PL4 8AA
United Kingdom
pworsfold@plymouth.ac.uk
Prof. CMG van den Berg
Oceanography Laboratories
Maths and Oceanography Building
University of Liverpool
Liverpool L69 7ZL
United Kingdom
C.M.G.Van-Den-Berg@liverpool.ac.uk
Dr. Winfried Gieskes
University of Groningen
Dept. of Marine Biology
P.O.Box 14, NL-9750 AA Haren
The Netherlands
W.W.C.Gieskes@biol.rug.nl
Dr Diana Ruiz-Pino
Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie Marines (LPCM)
4 Place Jussieu
F-75252 Paris Cedex 05
France
ruiz@ccr.jussieu.fr
Dr. Julie La Roche
Institut fuer Meereskunde an der Universitaet Kiel
Duestenbrooker Weg 20
D-24105 Kiel
Germany
jlaroche@ifm.uni-kiel.de
Prof. Dr. Ernst Maier-Reimer
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie
Bundestrasse 55
D-20146 Hamburg
Germany
maier-reimer@dkrz.de
Dr. Patrick Monfray
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement
UMR CEA-CNRS 1572
CE Saclay, Orme des Merisiers
F-91191 Gif sur Yvette
France
monfray@cea.fr