Marginal Ice Zone Phytoplankton Phenology in CMIP5 Models

Abstract

The presentation will focus on the role sea-ice plays in seasonal cycle of phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean. In particular, it will summarize a detailed study of 11 CMIP5 Earth System Models and their representation of phytoplankton phenology in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ. of the Atlantic Southern Ocean. The study revealed that models could be grouped according to two dominant controls on their simulated phenology, namely the location of the ice edge and degree of stratification present in the water column. This grouping allows us to investigate not only the mechanisms responsible for the major model biases, but also the response of phytoplankton, now and in the future, to a complex physical environment characterized by strong ice-ocean-atmosphere coupling. This work was sponsored by the SANAP grant TRAIN-SOPP: Southern Ocean Primary Production in the Earth System (2015-18.. - Abstract as displayed in the - Abstract booklet. The presentation on the day may differ from the - Abstract.