Cited by 514Marine Plankton and BiogeochemistryClimate variability and modelsOceanographic and Atmospheric Processes

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 41 of the 41 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 14 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Potential impact of climate change on marine export production

Open access
Bopp, Laurent, Monfray, Patrick, Aumont, Olivier, Dufresne, Jean‐Louis, Le Treut, Hervé, Madec, Gurvan, Terray, Laurent, Orr, James C.·2001·Global Biogeochemical Cycles

Abstract

Future climate change will affect marine productivity, as well as other many components of Earth system. We have investigated the response of marine productivity to global warming with two different ocean biogeochemical schemes and two different atmosphere‐ocean coupled general circulation models (GCM). Both coupled GCMs were used without flux correction to simulate climate response to increased greenhouse gases (+1% CO 2/yr for 80 years). At 2×CO 2, increased stratification leads to both reduced nutrient supply and increased light efficiency. Both effects drive a reduction in marine export production (−6%), although regionally changes can be both negative and positive (from −15% zonal average in the tropics to +10% in the Southern Ocean). Both coupled models and both biogeochemical schemes simulate a poleward shift of marine production due mainly to a longer growing season at high latitudes. At low latitudes, the effect of reduced upwelling prevails. The resulting reduction in marine productivity, and other marine resources, could become detectable in the near future, if appropriate long‐term observing systems are implemented.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

Using two coupled atmosphere-ocean GCMs and two biogeochemical schemes, Bopp et al. simulate a +1% CO2/yr increase to 2xCO2 and find a ~6% global decline in marine export production, with low-latitude decreases and high-latitude increases. The response is driven by increased stratification reducing nutrient supply and lengthening the growing season, but regional results depend strongly on ocean dynamics and biogeochemical complexity.

Key findings

  • At 2xCO2 (years 65–75), all three simulations predict a global export-production decrease of about 6%: LG 13.1→12.3 GtC yr−1 (−6.6%), AG 9.5→8.9 GtC yr−1 (−5.9%), and LB 11.1→10.3 GtC yr−1 (−6.6%). Low latitudes decline (−10.1%, −10.9%, −11.0%) while high latitudes increase (+5.1%, +5.5%, +12.5%); the text reports tropical zonal decreases reaching −15 to −20% and subpolar increases greater than 10%.
  • Mechanisms: increased upper-ocean stratification reduces nutrient supply (surface PO4 decreases; upwelling reduced nearly −10%) and increases light efficiency via a longer growing season, which lengthens by up to 50 days at 2xCO2. This produces a poleward shift of marine production.
  • LB diagnostics show declines in total primary production (−8.9%), surface phytoplankton cell content (−6.3%), and surface chlorophyll (−8.5%). In the LG run extended to 4xCO2, export production is reduced by more than 15%; around 3xCO2 (year 110) it is reduced by 11%.
  • Detectability: in the equatorial Pacific, Δ/σ reaches 1 after 30 years and 2 after 60 years; the detectability index reaches 2 after 30 years, or 45 years if interannual variability is doubled. The authors suggest detection may be possible when atmospheric pCO2 reaches 450 ppm.

Methods

  • Offline biogeochemical simulations were forced by archived ocean advection and vertical diffusion from two coupled GCMs (LMD5/OPAICE and ARPEGE/OPAICE), both using the OPAICE ocean model. Control pCO2 was 350 ppm; the scenario increased CO2 at 1% yr−1 for 80 years to 2xCO2 (700 ppm), without flux correction.
  • Two biogeochemical schemes were used: G (HAMOCC3, phosphate-based, no explicit biology) coupled to L and A, and B (P3ZD NPZD, explicit plankton) coupled to L, giving three pairs: LG, AG, and LB. Simulations were initialized from the final steady state of Aumont et al. [1999].
  • Control runs were evaluated against observations (PO4, SeaWiFS chlorophyll, export production). Global warming response was analyzed as scenario minus control at 2xCO2 (years 65–75), with zonal means, sensitivity tests, and a detectability index.

Limitations

  • Stated: two major uncertainties are ocean dynamics and biogeochemical scheme. AG and LG differ notably in the Southern Ocean and North Pacific; the Southern Ocean is particularly sensitive. Better hydrological cycle representation, subgrid-scale eddy mixing, downslope transport, and higher resolution are needed.
  • Stated: phosphate-based schemes lack limitation by Fe, N, and Si and do not account for plankton species competition or external atmospheric iron deposition. B includes zooplankton grazing but omits other nutrients. Control biases include SST errors, inadequate Antarctic sea ice, mixed-layer depth biases, and overestimated chlorophyll in equatorial Pacific/HNLC regions.
  • Evident from the text: regional conclusions are model-dependent; for example, LB shows no change in the North Pacific while LG and AG predict a 10–20% decrease, and Southern Ocean patterns differ among models. The paper itself notes that the link between the present ocean state and future changes is not clear.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1029/1999gb001256

Cites

41 of 41 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

11 Own result · 7 Own interpretation · 5 Sources not found · 4 Own method · 3 Not checked yet · 2 No basis given · 1 No full text of the sources

Show all 18 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 11
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 4
15 of 15
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Future climate change will affect marine productivity.

    “Future climate change will affect marine productivity, as well as other many components of Earth system.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Phytoplankton growth depends on the local conditions of light, temperature, and vertical eddy diffusion, which acts to homogenize the concentration of phytoplankton cells throughout the complete mixed layer.

    “Phytoplankton growth depends on the local conditions of light, temperature, and vertical eddy diffusion, which acts to homogenize the concentration of phytoplankton cells throughout the complete mixed layer.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    In the top 100 m of the water column, POC sinks at a constant rate.

    “In the top 100 m of the water column, POC is assumed to sink at a constant r a s sd ( om depth and thereby contribute to particulate export production as defined for this paper.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Any such changes in marine productivity would propagate up to the marine foodweb.

    “Any such changes would obviously propagate up to the marine foodweb.”
4 of 4

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

4 of 4

Citations

Cites

Show all 39 references

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Filiberti M.‐A., 1999, Igloo sea‐ice model version 1.0, Notes techniques du pole de modelisation
  2. Lazar A., 2001, A rationalization of the Veronis upwelling/downwelling system and its sensitivity to mixing parameterizations in an idealized OGCM, J. Phys. Oceanogr.
  3. Madec G., 1997, OPA Version 8.0 Ocean General Circulation model, Reference manual
  4. Sadourny R., 1984, New Perspectives in Climate Modeling, 173
  5. Terray L., 1999, The OASIS coupler user guide, version 2.3

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Metadata

Authors
Bopp, L., Monfray, P., Aumont, O., Dufresne, J., Le Treut, H., Madec, G., Terray, L., & Orr, J. C.
Venue
Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Published
2001-03
Volume
15
Issue
1
Pages
81-99
ISSN
  • 0886-6236 (ISSN-L)
  • 1944-9224
OpenAlex
W1973095441
Cited by
514
References
39
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 21
FWCI
11.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Global Biogeochemical Cycles (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) (submittedVersion)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
  • NERC Open Research Archive (Natural Environment Research Council) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine Plankton and Biogeochemistry
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate variability and models
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
Keywords
climate change impacts, ocean primary productivity, ocean stratification, nutrient supply, light efficiency, upwelling, poleward shift, growing season, greenhouse gas increase, Southern Ocean, tropical oceans

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