The Micro-ARC project aims to elucidate changes in the pelagic microbial ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean. We will consider a modelling approach to derive a coherent picture of the diverse observational data. With our model we wish to resolve responses in the microbial community structure and quantify their effects on current and future organic matter cycling.
In collaboration with Ben Ward (WP4 of the Micro-ARC project) and Markus Schartau, a model that combines principles of plankton ecology, biogeochemistry, and physiology will be devised for the AWI Hausgarten LTER observatory in the Fram Strait. It is our aim to accomplish a model version that has the explanatory power to elucidate the complexity of the different observations but also serves as a reliable tool to inter- and extrapolate the underlying processes spatially and temporally.
In my PhD project, I will assimilate the observational data into this new model, thereby deriving optimal estimates of how seasonal variations in POM and DOM quality may affect annual flux estimates of carbon and nitrogen. With my research I hope to provide some new insight to microbial heterotrophic processes and determine how sensitive these are to changes in the photoautotrophic primary production and gel formation.
