Evolution of the plankton biomass

Results of the ecosystem model presented as a time series. The x-axis respresents time through the year, while the y-axis represents biomass (in millimoles of Nitrogen per m3), which is the weight of Nitrogen molecules in biological substances per unit volume of sea water. The pale blue curve indicates dissolved nitrates, the green curve indicates phytoplankton biomass and the dark blue curve represents zooplankton biomass. Dissolved nitrates are supplied by rivers, hence the increase from January to March, and fluctuate with different wind and tide conditions, hence the "noise" in this curve. At the end of April phytoplankton grows rapidly, this is the "spring bloom", and nitrates decrease correspondingly until there are none left causing the phytoplankton biomass to decrease sharply. Zooplankton which feed off phytoplankton reach a peak typically two weeks after the phytoplankton peak.

MUMM's ecosystem modelling activities are funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office "Sustainable Development North Sea program" and are carried out in collaboration with the "Ecologie des Systèmes Aquatiques" (ESA) lab of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (C.Lancelot), the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences of Oregon State University (Y.Spitz), and the Laboratory of Ecology and Systematics of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (N.Daro) in the AMORE project. Further details on the project can be obtained from the coordinator.