Deep chlorophyll maximum and nutricline in the Mediterranean Sea: emerging properties from a multi-platform assimilated biogeochemical model experiment

Abstract

Data assimilation has led to advancements in biogeochemical modelling and scientific understanding of the ocean. The recent operational availability of data from BGC-Argo (biogeochemical Argo) floats, which provide valuable insights into key vertical biogeochemical processes, stands to further improve biogeochemical modelling through assimilation schemes that include float observations in addition to traditionally assimilated satellite data. In the present work, we demonstrate the feasibility of joint multi-platform assimilation in realistic biogeochemical applications by presenting the results of 1-year simulations of Mediterranean Sea biogeochemistry. Different combinations of satellite chlorophyll data and BGC-Argo nitrate and chlorophyll data have been tested, and validation with respect to available independent non-assimilated and assimilated (before the assimilation) observations showed that assimilation of both satellite and float observations outperformed the assimilation of platforms considered individually. Moreover, the assimilation of BGC-Argo data impacted the vertical structure of nutrients and phytoplankton in terms of deep chlorophyll maximum depth, intensity, and nutricline depth. The outcomes of the model simulation assimilating both satellite data and BGC-Argo data provide a consistent picture of the basin-wide differences in vertical features associated with summer stratified conditions, describing a relatively high variability between the western and eastern Mediterranean, with thinner and shallower but intense deep chlorophyll maxima associated with steeper and narrower nutriclines in the western Mediterranean.