The effects of river input on the ecosystem dynamics in the continental coastal zone of the North Sea using ERSEM

The general characteristics of the continental coastal zone, with nutrient concentrations, primary production and biomass high near the coast but decreasing with distance from the coast, are simulated by a box-refined version of the ecosystem model ERSEM. Aggregated model results compared to the literature as well as to two different three-dimensional models show a good agreement in the coastal region. The dynamical interactions as simulated by the ecosystem model are presented in the form of NP ratios, the limitation by various nutrients and changes in the pathways of the flow of matter in the boxes; e.g. while the silicate limitation stops the spring bloom offshore, near the coast it is terminated by zooplankton grazing. When the river load was reduced by 50%, the largest effect was observed in the coastal boxes with 15% reduction of the net primary production. The discharges of the major rivers hardly affect the central North Sea, but lead to significant changes in nutrient limitations and mass flows in the coastal area. The realistic forcing, which was adopted for this setup, allows a higher net primary production in the southern North Sea in 1989 than in 1988, even though the nutrient river loads in 1989 were lower. The reason appears to be a higher solar energy input in 1989, by about 10 W m−2 d-−1, compared to 1988.