www.elsevier.com/locate/dsr2 A numerical model of seasonal primary production within the Chukchi/Beaufort Seas

• Main Authors: John J. Walsh A, Dwight A. Dieterle A, Wieslaw Maslowski B, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier C, Terry E. Whitledge D, Mikhail Flint E, Irina N. Sukhanova E, Nicholas Bates F, Glenn F. Cota G, Dean Stockwell D, S. B. Moran H, Dennis A. Hansell I, C. Peter Mcroy D
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2004
• Subjects: Anadyr; Anadyr’; Arctic; Pacific; Anadyr'; Chukchi
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.391.6948; http://yyy.rsmas.miami.edu/groups/biogeochem/Hansell pdfs/52 Hansell.pdf

A coupled three-dimensional circulation and ecological model provided numerical analysis of daily carbon/nitrogen cycling by the planktonic and benthic components of western Arctic shelf/basin ecosystems during 2002, when extensive field data were obtained by American and Canadian ice-breakers. Seasonal model budgets of April–May, July–August, and September–October 2002 allowed both interpolation and extrapolation of these validation data, suggesting that the most productive shelf regime of the Chukchi/Beaufort Seas was that of summer. Yet, during this period of July–August, a combination of light-limitation and nutrient-limitation limited shelf-wide mean simulated net photosynthesis to only 709 mg C m 2 day 1 for shelf waters of o220 m depth. This modeled seasonal carbon fixation then accounted for 45% of the annual shelf primary production of 97.4 g C m 2 yr 1 Identification of the relative importance of natural control factors of light and nutrients by the coupled model provided insight into possible consequences of future global climatic changes at these high latitudes. The model’s seasonal penetration of relatively saline, nutrient-rich Anadyr Water of Pacific origin into the eastern