Future arctic ocean primary productivity from CMIP5 simulations: Uncertain outcome, but consistent mechanisms

• Published in: Global Biogeochemical Cycles
• Main Authors: Vancoppenolle, Martin, Bopp, Laurent, Madec, Gurvan, Dunne, John, Ilyina, Tatiana, Halloran, Paul R., Steiner, Nadja
• Other Authors: Processus de couplage à Petite Echelle, Ecosystèmes et Prédateurs Supérieurs (PEPS), Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Nucleus for European Modeling of the Ocean (NEMO R&D ), NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, University of Exeter, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis (CCCma), Environment and Climate Change Canada, European Project: 321938,EC:FP7:PEOPLE,FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG,BISICLO(2012)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2013
• Subjects: sea ice; nitrate; primary production; Arctic; [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; Arctic Ocean; Climate change; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01406230; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01406230/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01406230/file/gbc.20055.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1002/gbc.20055

International audience Net primary production (PP) in the Arctic should increase over this century, due to sea ice retreat, inducing an increase in available light, but could decrease if nitrate renewal is insufficient. Here, simulations performed with 11 Earth System Models from the CMIP5 exercise, covering 1900-2100, are analyzed using Arctic PP, surface nitrate and sea ice concentrations. Whereas the mean model well simulates Arctic-integrated PP at 511 TgC/yr for 1998-2005 and projects a 58 TgC/yr increase by 2080-2099, models neither agree on what limits PP today, nor on the sign of future PP change. However, the same mechanisms operate in all models. First, both sea ice and nitrate decrease over the 21st century. Depending on the model, the strengthening nitrate stress is sufficient to overcome the effect of light increase. The inter-model spread stems from present nitrate stocks, poorly constrained by observations and characterized by an inter-model uncertainty of >50% of the mean. Second, virtually all models agree in the open ocean zones on more spatially-integrated PP and less PP per unit area. Where models disagree is the sea ice zone, where a subtle balance between light and nutrient limitations determines the change in productivity. Hence, it is argued that reducing uncertainty on present Arctic nitrate would render Arctic PP projections much more consistent. That is definitely required to understand the impact of climate change on the Arctic food webs and carbon cycle.