About:

BFM-project.

This project is a cooperation between NIOZ, National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology(INGV), University of Bolognaand Job Baretta.

The Biogeochemical Flux Model (BFM) is a direct descendant of the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model (ERSEM). ERSEM was originally developed, refined and applied in two EU Marine Science and Technology (MAST) projects by shifting consortia of leading marine science institutes in Europe from 1990 to 1996. The BFM model has been developed in the framework of the MFSTEPEU-project (Mediterranean Forecasting System Toward Ecosystem Predictions, by a core of scientists which also included some of the original ERSEM developers.

The Aim of the project was to make the BFM model available to the community in different configurations and programming languages. and  to maintain in shape  the ”standard “ BFM” model on  a reference place for the former (and still-growing) ERSEM community.

Development of a capability to run coupled 1D and 3D hydrodynamic-biogeochemical models. in cooperation with CEFAS, Lowestoft (UK)

Aim: To setup up a coupled hydrodynamical biochemical model. As a result CEFAS and NIOZ has now implemented, the hydrodynamical model GETM /GOTMand couple it to a complex biogeochemical model BFM (Biogeochemical Flux Model) for the wider North Sea.

Model applications to date include

• investigation of the causes and variability in sub-surface oxygen minima at the Oyster Grounds,

• studies of C and N cycling at the Oyster Grounds, carrying out nutrient reduction scenario experiments

• the relation between river input and secondary production (zooplankton and fish).

Important  applications are:

• to determine the ‘transboundary’ nutrient fluxes in the North Sea. This work will be conducted as part of an international OSPAR coordinated exercise (www.cefas.co.uk/eutmod). This work is of high interest with regard to the assessment of eutrophication in the North Sea and the possibility that riverine nutrients entering the North Sea from one member state may aggravate to eutrophication problem in another.

• to run different climate scenario runs (See next project).

The model is developed on a cluster computer (existing of  8 2-core machines), running under Linux(Suse) using public domain software (MPI). The GETM  model is already prepared for running on a cluster computer. The domain (area) of the model is therefore divided in sub-domains. When a run is started  all sub-domains are simultaneously run in parallel on the nodes of the cluster and at every computational step each sub-domain is waiting until  the providing and receiving of information from and to its  neighbor sub-domains is ended  before next step is taken.

Nowadays we run the model on a cluster computer existing 20 4-core machines.

The name of this combination of hydrodynamical and ecosystem model  GETM-ERSEM .

 On the web-site  http://www.nioz.nl/northsea_model more information is given about this model.