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A mathematical modelling of bloom of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi in a mesocosm experiment
1Oceanology Laboratory, Interfacultary Centre for Marine Research, Universite de Liege, Institut de Chimie (B6c), 4000 Liege, Belgium
2Unite d'Oceanographie Chimique, Interfacultary Centre for Marine Research, Universite de Liege, Institut de Physique (B5), 4000 Liege, Belgium
3Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Yerseke, The Netherlands
4Laboratoire d'Oceanographie Chimique et Geochimie des Eaux, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Campus de la Plaine, Brussels, Belgium
5Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
6Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences, IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany
7Observatoire oceanologique de Villefranche-sur-mer, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
Abstract. A dynamic model has been developed to represent biogeochemical variables and processes observed during a bloom of Emiliania huxleyi coccolithophore. This bloom was induced in a mesocosm experiment during which the ecosystem development was followed over a period of 23-days through changes in various biogeochemical parameters such as inorganic nutrients (nitrate, ammonium and phosphate), total alkalinity (TA), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2), dissolved oxygen (O2), photosynthetic pigments, particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP), primary production, and calcification. This dynamic model is based on unbalanced algal growth and balanced bacterial growth. In order to adequately reproduce the observations, the model includes an explicit description of phosphorus cycling, calcification, TEP production and an enhanced mortality due to viral lysis. The model represented carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes observed in the mesocosms. Modelled profiles of algal biomass and final concentrations of DIC and nutrients are in agreement with the experimental observations.
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Citation: Joassin, P., Delille, B., Soetaert, K., Borges, A. V., Chou, L., Engel, A., Gattuso, J.-P., Harlay, J., Riebesell, U., Suykens, K., and Gregoire, M.: A mathematical modelling of bloom of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi in a mesocosm experiment, Biogeosciences Discuss., 5, 787-840, 2008. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager
