Integrative Modelling for Shelf Seas Biogeochemistry

Lead Research Organisation: Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Department Name: CEFAS Lowestoft Laboratory

Abstract

Shelf seas are of major societal importance providing a diverse range of goods (e.g. fisheries, renewable energy, transport) and services (e.g. carbon and nutrient cycling and biodiversity). At the same time they are under enormous pressures from man's activities which may have significant impact on the basic function of such systems. For example climate change will lead to large scale changes in stratification and temperature, while increasing atmospheric CO2 levels will lead to acidification of the oceans with significant impacts on ocean biogeochemistry. Simultaneously combinations of direct human activities (e.g. fishing, and eutrophication) directly impact the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients.

Our understanding of the biogeochemistry of the shelf seas is limited and many processes are poorly understood, in particular the biogeochemical budgets of carbon and nutrients. The key questions include is the UK continental shelf a source or sink for carbon and nitrogen remain unanswered. In addition there are gaps in our knowledge of some of the key physical, chemical and biological controls on biogeochemical cycles. By synthesising empirical knowledge into quantitative descriptions, computer models allow scientists to investigate the functioning of, and interactions between, ecology, biogeochemistry, anthropogenic pressures and climate.

The overarching scientific goal is to enhance our capacity to assess the controls on biogeochemical cycling and hence to quantify with uncertainties the budgets of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and silicon including their response to climate, natural variability and anthropogenic stress. The underpinning strategic goal is to develop a new shelf seas biogeochemical model system, coupled to a state of the art physical model, capable of predicting regional impacts of environmental change from days to decades.

We will establish a new common model version for the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model (ERSEM), drawing from the combined expertise of the partners. Exploiting, existing data, and new biogeochemical process understanding generated by the SSB program we will improve existing process models and develop new ones as appropriate, for both the physical and biological models. We will develop collaborations with the observational and experimentally focussed scientists working on the entire SSB programme in order to make best use of the available expertise. This will form the basis of the new community model system which will be supported and made freely available to the wider UK and international research communities. The resultant model will be used to make simulations of past present and potential future sates of the biogeochemistry of the UK shelf.

In summary, the project will provide new modelling tools which provide estimates of crucial information to help resolve key scientific questions as well as provide a better understanding of the functioning of the shelf seas as they respond to global change and direct anthropogenic pressures. The combination of predictive tools and new knowledge will underpin the development and implementation of marine policy and the implementation of marine forecast systems.

Planned Impact

Who will benefit from this research?

Policy-makers
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Ministry of Defence (MoD)
EU member states

Agencies:
Marine Scotland
AFBI
Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP)
Marine Management Organisation (MMO)
National Centre for Ocean Forecasting (NCOF)
The international climate evidence community (embodied by the IPCC)

Commercial private sector
Environmental Consultancies

Wider public:
UK and international general public and relevant NGOs

How will they benefit from this research?

Policy-makers/agencies
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) (MSFD) requires EC member states to develop strategies to achieve a healthy marine environment and make ecosystems more resilient to climate change in all European marine waters by 2020 at the latest. The strategies must contain a detailed assessment of the state of the environment, a definition of "Good Environmental Status" (GES) at regional level and the establishment of clear environmental targets and monitoring programmes. Defra, Marine Scotland and AFBI are responsible for the implementation of the MSFD in UK and will benefit from improved knowledge and predictive skill for key indicators of the state of the marine environment. In addition by addressing productivity at the lower trophic levels of the marine food web, including forecasting to century-scales, our research may assist the development of marine fisheries policy and approaches for working towards an ecosystem-focused approach to marine resource management. Cefas are key to this engagement, having for many years advised and Defra (and more recently the MMO) on the environmental status of UK waters and are advising on the implementation of the MSFD and the CFP in England and Wales. DECC and the international climate community (embodied by the IPCC) will benefit through our rigorous investigation and evaluation of shelf seas processes, through engagement with the UK Met Office (UKMO), continuing a close working relationship and the use of a common ocean model, ERSEM-NEMO. This provides the underlying code for operational oceanography (open-ocean and shelf seas) at UKMO, who provide data products to the MOD and to GMES.

Wealth Creation
The European Earth observation program GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) provides high quality environmental information through the development of a marine monitoring service. Crucially the GMES core service provides regular and systematic reference information on the state of the oceans and regional seas, which is free at the point of use for businesses to exploit commercially. The UKMO run the UK operational ecosystem models delivering high quality data products to the marine core service thought the FP7 MyOCEAN data portal. The model developments proposed will be fed through to the UKMO operational model systems thus improving the range and quality of core service data products.

Wider public
We will publicise our research through:
A project website
Engagement with the media as appropriate
Programme wide outreach activities as they are developed.
Online summaries of the project and key findings disseminated to key interested parties or events
 
Description A version of the shelf seas biochemical model ERSEM was compared with new observations made in the Celtic sea obtained as part of the wider NERC/Defra Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry program. The comparison showed good agreement with water column observations and some benthic measurements such as oxygen consumption. A large difference in modeled and observed bed organic carbon content lead to the conclusion that much (>90%) of the organic carbon measured in the bed is old/refractory material rather than new material being actively processed.

The model was also modified to account for pore water flows and benthic-pelagic exchange characteristic of sandy (as opposed to muddy) sediments that cover much of the European continental shelf.
Exploitation Route These findings are relevant to others assessing the UK blue carbon contribution and in valuing the ecosystem services contribution of the marine benthic system around the UK.
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Environment

Government

Democracy and Justice

Other

URL https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10533-017-0367-0
 
Description The results have contributed to several ongoing government (Defra) funded research programmes. Outputs from the biogeochemical modelling capability that was developed in this project has been used in 1) a Defra funded project to develop 'added value' monitoring of seabed environmental status to include biogeochemical parameters in addition to those for biodiversity. (Integrated seabed understanding - Added value Monitoring) 2) The marine component of the Defra Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme, in particular spatial mapping marine of ecosystem service provision focussing on nitrogen removal via benthic denitrification. 3) Assessment of the potential for offshore aquaculture (seaweed and shellfish) to contribute to carbon and nitrogen removal (Seaweed/bivalve aquaculture carbon and nitrogen sequestration programme (FRD048))
First Year Of Impact 2021
Sector Environment
Impact Types Policy & public services

 
Description NERC-CASE studentship with University of Exeter, CASE partner contribution
Amount £25,000 (GBP)
Funding ID Cefas: DP371B-SCN449, NERC: NE/M00967X/1 
Organisation Centre For Environment, Fisheries And Aquaculture Science 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2015 
End 09/2019
 
Title Benthic data from SSB WP2 made accessible and available to WP4 
Description Collection of observations assembled for the purpose of model validation within the project 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2016 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Milestone in project enabling next stage of work. 
 
Title Seabed porosity and permeability maps 
Description Maps of sea-bed porosity and permeability on the northwest European continental shelf for input into the SSB-FABM-ERSEM model, generated using newly developed fitting techniques 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2016 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Improved model simulations potentially leading to improved advice 
 
Title TEP in FABM-ERSEM 
Description Inclusion of TEP in FABM-ERSEM, facilitating generation, recycling, and effects on sinking of organic material and food supply to the benthos 
Type Of Material Computer model/algorithm 
Year Produced 2016 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Improved model simulations lead to a potential for improved advice 
 
Title advection in coarse sediments 
Description Development and implementation of new parameterisation to include the effects of advective flows within coarse sediments on the biogeochemistry of SSB-FABM-ERSEM 
Type Of Material Computer model/algorithm 
Year Produced 2016 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Improved model simulations, potentially leading to improved advice 
 
Title filterfeeders in FABM-ERSEM 
Description Improvements to food supply to filter feeders in FABM-ERSEM using Rouse profiles 
Type Of Material Computer model/algorithm 
Year Produced 2016 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Improvement to model simulations potentially leading to improved advice 
 
Description NPOP biogeochemistry 
Organisation Meteorological Office UK
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Coordination of strategic reaserch and operational products between partners
Collaborator Contribution Sharing of data and products for marine biogeochemistry products (observational and model). Forum for discussion on future research including identification of knowledge gaps
Impact Joint meeting at Birmingham 14th - 16th Nov, 2023 (The Priory Rooms in central Birmingham B4 6AF) Multidisciplinary 1) Marine physics including currents and waves 2) Marine biogeochemistry
Start Year 2018
 
Description NPOP biogeochemistry 
Organisation Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Coordination of strategic reaserch and operational products between partners
Collaborator Contribution Sharing of data and products for marine biogeochemistry products (observational and model). Forum for discussion on future research including identification of knowledge gaps
Impact Joint meeting at Birmingham 14th - 16th Nov, 2023 (The Priory Rooms in central Birmingham B4 6AF) Multidisciplinary 1) Marine physics including currents and waves 2) Marine biogeochemistry
Start Year 2018
 
Description Attend and present work on modelling carbon burial at the Challenger 2018 meeting 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact A poster on benthic carbon modelling was presented. Discussions with PhD students on the subject.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Challenger Conference 2016 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Presentation on the model implementation of advective transport of nutrients in sandy sea beds.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description SSB Iron workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Cross-programme workshop to facilitate dialogue between observationalists and modellers to further define implementation of iron cycling in FABM-ERSEM.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description SSB modelling workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact SSB modelling workshop: disseminate SSB-ERSEM V0 to wider SSB project and train non-modellers in use of the model
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015