Nutrient dynamics in the North Sea: Fluxes and budgets in the water column derived from ERSEM

Abstract

Nutrient dynamics for phosphate, nitrate, ammonium and silicate have been simulated with ERSEM, the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model. From the model results budgets for the dissolved inorganic nutrients and the corresponding particulate fractions have been calculated. The annual cycles of the nutrients phosphate and silicate compare quite well with the observed ranges of variability. This does not hold for ammonium and nitrate. Biologically mediated transformations such as nutrient uptake and pelagic and benthic mineralization are the dominant processes in changing the nutrient concentrations with the horizontal advective contributions playing a minor role during the productive season.

Vertical advection and vertical diffusion have a clear seasonal signal, with a maximum in February. The decay of the advective nutrient transport in summer is caused by the depletion of the upper layer of dissolved inorganic nutrients by algal uptake. The inflow of nutrients in the northwest is almost balanced by the outflow in the northeast, without causing large nutrient transports into the shallower areas from the north. However, from the coastal areas there is a nutrient flow towards the central North Sea, enhancing primary production in the central area.