Work Package 12: regional assessment for the North Sea

Leader: Helmuth Thomas

Objectives
To create the data sets, measurement systems, and model set-ups as prerequisite for a quantitative
estimate of North Sea carbon fluxes.

Description of work
- Data bases (task leader J. Middelburg): Compilation of data bases on (a) river inputs, (b)
calcification in shallow waters, (c) carbon as well as nutrient exchanges between Baltic Sea and
North Sea. (partners 2, 8, 10, 20, 25, 26, 31, 32)
- Field work (task leader A. Borges): New field data on the North Sea carbon cycling will be
collected through (a) weekly sampling of C cycle variables in the Scheldt estuary (b) research
cruises, (c) VOS lines in the open North Sea, and (d) tower measurements of the Wadden sea –
atmosphere CO2 flux. The cruises will focus on a synoptic sampling on North Sea key stations,
pelagic calcification and diagenesis, and the Baltic/North Sea interaction. (partners 1, 2, 8, 10,
20, 25, 31)
- Modelling (task leader C. Lancelot):
- Improve an estuarine model on estuarine/coastal ocean and benthic-pelagic coupling in order to
improve the quantification of the marine carbon input from rivers. (partner 2, 26)
- Verification of back calculation techniques to determine Cant in the North Sea (partners 8, 22)
- Initial budget modelling using the coupled hydrodynamic-ecosystem model ERSEM II (partner 8)