EMECO

Biogeochemcial Models

Biogeochemical models are a mathematical representation of the interactions between chemical and biological components of an ecosystem. Marine biogeochemical models are used to study the dynamics between dissolved gases (e.g. oxygen and carbon dioxide) and inorganic nutrients (e.g. phosphate and nitrate) and the lower trophic levels of the ecosystem (e.g. bacteria to plankton).

Biogeochemical models can be linked with hydrodynamic models and higher trophic level models to give a mathematical representation of the whole ecosystem. The most common biogeochemical models used in European marine modelling is the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model (ERSEM) and the main ERSEM successor, the Biogeochemical Flux Model (BFM) .

ERSEM/BFM 

The Biogeochemical Flux Model (BFM) is the main successor of the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model (ERSEM). BFM (as its predecessor ERSEM) is a set of biogeochemical equations describing the cycling of carbon, the macronutrients N, P and Si and oxygen (O) through the lower trophic levels of marine ecosystems. 

BFM (and ERSEM) can be linked with hydrodynamic models, including GOTM and GETM to study the interactions between the physical and chemical ecosystem components. They can also be coupled with higher trophic level models, such as size-based models to study the interaction between the chemical and biological ecosystem components.

More Information about ERSEM/BFM