Quantification of the feedback between phytoplankton and ENSO in the Community Climate System Model.

Markus Jochum; S. Yeager; K. Lindsay; K. Moore; R. Murtugudde

Quantification of the feedback between phytoplankton and ENSO in the Community Climate System Model.

Markus Jochum, S. Yeager, K. Lindsay, K. Moore, R. Murtugudde

Climate and Geophysics

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The current coarse-resolution version of the Community Climate System Model is used to assess the impact of phytoplankton on El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The experimental setup allows for the separation of the effects of climatological annual cycle of chlorophyll distribution from its interannually varying part. The main finding is that the chlorophyll production by phytoplankton is important beyond modifying the mean and seasonal cycle of shortwave absorption; interannual modifications to the absorption have an impact as well, and they dampen ENSO variability by 9%. The magnitude of damping is the same in the experiment with smaller-than-observed, and in the experiment with larger-than-observed, chlorophyll distribution. This result suggests that to accurately represent ENSO in GCMs, it is not sufficient to use a prescribed chlorophyll climatology. Instead, some form of an ecosystem model will be necessary to capture the effects of phytoplankton coupling and feedback.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Climate
Volume	23
Pages (from-to)	2916-2925
ISSN	0894-8755
Publication status	Published - Jun 2010

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/staff/markus/3254_JCLI_June-2010.PDF

Cite this

@article{febf5718cb604dc5aaa19fb66dac1bb3,

title = "Quantification of the feedback between phytoplankton and ENSO in the Community Climate System Model.",

abstract = "The current coarse-resolution version of the Community Climate System Model is used to assess the impact of phytoplankton on El Ni{\~n}o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The experimental setup allows for the separation of the effects of climatological annual cycle of chlorophyll distribution from its interannually varying part. The main finding is that the chlorophyll production by phytoplankton is important beyond modifying the mean and seasonal cycle of shortwave absorption; interannual modifications to the absorption have an impact as well, and they dampen ENSO variability by 9%. The magnitude of damping is the same in the experiment with smaller-than-observed, and in the experiment with larger-than-observed, chlorophyll distribution. This result suggests that to accurately represent ENSO in GCMs, it is not sufficient to use a prescribed chlorophyll climatology. Instead, some form of an ecosystem model will be necessary to capture the effects of phytoplankton coupling and feedback.",

author = "Markus Jochum and S. Yeager and K. Lindsay and K. Moore and R. Murtugudde",

year = "2010",

month = jun,

language = "English",

volume = "23",

pages = "2916--2925",

journal = "Journal of Climate",

issn = "0894-8755",

publisher = "American Meteorological Society",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Quantification of the feedback between phytoplankton and ENSO in the Community Climate System Model.

AU - Jochum, Markus

AU - Yeager, S.

AU - Lindsay, K.

AU - Moore, K.

AU - Murtugudde, R.

PY - 2010/6

Y1 - 2010/6

N2 - The current coarse-resolution version of the Community Climate System Model is used to assess the impact of phytoplankton on El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The experimental setup allows for the separation of the effects of climatological annual cycle of chlorophyll distribution from its interannually varying part. The main finding is that the chlorophyll production by phytoplankton is important beyond modifying the mean and seasonal cycle of shortwave absorption; interannual modifications to the absorption have an impact as well, and they dampen ENSO variability by 9%. The magnitude of damping is the same in the experiment with smaller-than-observed, and in the experiment with larger-than-observed, chlorophyll distribution. This result suggests that to accurately represent ENSO in GCMs, it is not sufficient to use a prescribed chlorophyll climatology. Instead, some form of an ecosystem model will be necessary to capture the effects of phytoplankton coupling and feedback.

AB - The current coarse-resolution version of the Community Climate System Model is used to assess the impact of phytoplankton on El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The experimental setup allows for the separation of the effects of climatological annual cycle of chlorophyll distribution from its interannually varying part. The main finding is that the chlorophyll production by phytoplankton is important beyond modifying the mean and seasonal cycle of shortwave absorption; interannual modifications to the absorption have an impact as well, and they dampen ENSO variability by 9%. The magnitude of damping is the same in the experiment with smaller-than-observed, and in the experiment with larger-than-observed, chlorophyll distribution. This result suggests that to accurately represent ENSO in GCMs, it is not sufficient to use a prescribed chlorophyll climatology. Instead, some form of an ecosystem model will be necessary to capture the effects of phytoplankton coupling and feedback.

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0894-8755

VL - 23

SP - 2916

EP - 2925

JO - Journal of Climate

JF - Journal of Climate

ER -

Quantification of the feedback between phytoplankton and ENSO in the Community Climate System Model.

Abstract

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this