Researchers from the Nansen Center and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in Germany developed a model that produces reliable biogeochemical forecasts for the Arctic Ocean and North Atlantic. It is already in use within the Copernicus Marine Service framework.

Forecasting biogeochemical conditions in the ocean, such as nutrients and plankton which form the foundation of the oceanic food webs and food source for fish, helps with managing oceans and marine ecosystems more sustainably. Sustainable management is relevant to ensure that society will have enough food from the ocean in the future. And forecasts can only be made if models produce reliable results and serve as important tools to better understand changes in the ocean. And a new article highlights a model that does that.

The ECOSMO II(CHL) model has been developed at the Nansen Center and in Germany over the past years. It is one of the latest additions to the Copernicus Marine Service and it produces forecasts for ten days into the future. The model also holds valuable information of the past five years on the biogeochemistry of the Arctic, making it interesting for scientists from several fields.

The recent publication «ECOSMO II(CHL): a marine biogeochemical model for the North Atlantic and the Arctic» is describing the science behind the model and its development to benefit scientific community and society alike.