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Articles | Volume 22, issue 13
Articles | Volume 22, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3253-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3253-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 22, issue 13
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
10 Jul 2025
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 10 Jul 2025

Simulating vertical phytoplankton dynamics in a stratified ocean using a two-layered ecosystem model

Qi Zheng, Johannes J. Viljoen, Xuerong Sun, Žarko Kovač, Shubha Sathyendranath, and Robert J. W. Brewin

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Anugerahanti, P., Roy, S., and Haines, K.: A perturbed biogeochemistry model ensemble evaluated against in situ and satellite observations, Biogeosciences, 15, 6685–6711, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6685-2018, 2018. a
Anugerahanti, P., Roy, S., and Haines, K.: Perturbed Biology and Physics Signatures in a 1-D Ocean Biogeochemical Model Ensemble, Front. Marine Sci., 7, 549, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00549, 2020. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s
Behrenfeld, M. J., O'Malley, R. T., Boss, E. S., Westberry, T. K., Graff, J. R., Halsey, K. H., Milligan, A. J., Siegel, D. A., and Brown, M. B.: Revaluating ocean warming impacts on global phytoplankton, Nat. Clim. Chang., 6, 323–330, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2838, 2016. a
Brewin, R. J. W., Dall'Olmo, G., Gittings, J., Sun, X., Lange, P. K., Raitsos, D. E., Bouman, H. A., Hoteit, I., Aiken, J., and Sathyendranath, S.: A Conceptual Approach to Partitioning a Vertical Profile of Phytoplankton Biomass Into Contributions From Two Communities, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 127, e2021JC018195, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC018195, 2022. a, b
Brock, T. D.: Calculating solar radiation for ecological studies, Ecol. Model., 14, 1–19, https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3800(81)90011-9, 1981. a
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Recent findings by Viljoen et al. (2024, Nature Climate Change) reveal contrasting phytoplankton trends above and below the mixed layer depth in the Sargasso Sea between 2011 and 2022, linked to ongoing ocean warming. Building on these observations, the current study by Zheng et al. seeks to replicate the detected patterns and unravel the drivers of these decadal changes. To this end, the authors develop a two-layer ecosystem model that conceptualizes stratified ocean systems as comprising two distinct ecological regimes: one within the surface mixed layer and another beneath it. Their results offer valuable insights into how phytoplankton communities may respond to future climate-driven stratification and highlight the critical need for improved monitoring efforts capable of capturing subsurface biological dynamics beyond the reach of satellite observations.
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Phytoplankton contribute to half of Earth’s primary production, but not a lot is known about subsurface phytoplankton, living at the base of the sunlit ocean. We develop a two-layered box model to simulate phytoplankton seasonal and interannual variations in different depth layers of the ocean. Our model captures seasonal and long-term trends of the two layers, explaining how they respond to a warming ocean, furthering our understanding of how phytoplankton are responding to climate change.
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