Nutrient inputs from the atmosphere and rivers to the ocean are increased substantially by human activities. However, the effects of increased nutrient inputs are not included in the widely used CMIP5 Earth system models, which introduce bias into model simulations of ocean biogeochemistry. Here, using historical simulations by an Earth system model with perturbed atmospheric and riverine nutrient inputs, we show that the contribution of anthropogenic nutrient inputs to past global changes in ocean biogeochemistry is of similar magnitude to the effect of climate change.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent paleo reconstructions suggest that increased carbon storage in the Southern Ocean during glacial periods contributed to low glacial atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (CO). However, quantifying its contribution in three-dimensional ocean general circulation models (OGCMs) has proven challenging. Here, we show that OGCM simulation with sedimentary process considering enhanced Southern Ocean salinity stratification and iron fertilization from glaciogenic dust during glacial periods improves model-data agreement of glacial deep water with isotopically light carbon, low oxygen, and old radiocarbon ages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: The changes or updates in ocean biogeochemistry component have been mapped between CMIP5 and CMIP6 model versions, and an assessment made of how far these have led to improvements in the simulated mean state of marine biogeochemical models within the current generation of Earth system models (ESMs).
Recent Findings: The representation of marine biogeochemistry has progressed within the current generation of Earth system models. However, it remains difficult to identify which model updates are responsible for a given improvement.