Research Projects

Multi-Scale Modeling

Assessing the role of eastern boundary up-welling regions and their ecosystems on climate variability using a fully coupled model.

This project aims to study the regional atmosphere-ocean interactions and the global ramifications that result from a more accurate treatment of eastern boundary coastal upwelling regions, their ecosystems and biogeochemistry in a fully coupled global multi-scale climate model. Eastern boundary upwelling systems are highly productive regions, supplied by upwelled nutrients, CO2-rich, and O2-poor waters. They are characterized by intense biogeochemical cycling, high-rates of biological productivity, high air-sea CO2 fluxes and efficient carbon export to the open ocean and sediments. For the purpose of this work we developed a model that permits the ability to selectively increase the resolution of the ocean component of a global climate model via grid-nesting, in desired regions while keeping the two-way coupling to the atmosphere and global ocean.