QUEST Theme 1 - MarQUEST (Marine Biogeochemistry and Initiative in QUEST) Project

Introduction

MarQUEST is developing new methods of validating ocean biogeochemistry models, making use of remote sensing ocean colour data, in situ data sets and ongoing observations from the major European programmes, CarboOcean and EUR-OCEANS. In the past, ocean biogeochemical models represented biological processes in very simple or rigid ways (e.g., single nutrient limitation, a single generic primary producer), limiting understanding of the role of ecosystems in the climate system. Increasing the complexity of models has presented new challenges for their validation; it is also not clear what the 'optimal' complexity of a model should be for any given real-world problem.

QUEST scientists are cooperating in comparing various models, and examining more fundamental (physiological) approaches to understanding the planktonic ecoystem. MarQUEST is also developing a module to simulate coastal ecosystems, usable in global ocean biogeochemical simulations. Finally, the project team will generate an accurate physical simulation of the North Atlantic guided by data assimilation, into which ecosystem simulations can be embedded. This will allow the variation in air-sea fluxes of gases (CO2, oxygen and dimethyl sulphide) from ocean to atmosphere to be quantified for the contemporary period.

Availability of data and file format

Data are stored in the BADC QUEST MarQUEST project data archive.

The data filenames should follow the BADC File Name convention and the data file format should be NetCDF or NASA-Ames.

Access to data and information

Please refer to the QUEST Conditions of Access page for details of access restrictions.

Citation

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Date of citation

Who to contact

MarQUEST is led by Prof Andrew Watson (UEA), with 15 co-investigators at UEA/BAS, the Universities of Southampton, Essex, and Reading, and from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory.

Each QUEST project will have a designated "data co-ordinator" to ensure good communication with the QUEST core team/BADC regarding data issues, and to ensure that each project meets its data provision obligations. The data co-ordinator for the MarQUEST project is to be determined.

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