Modeling the Vertical Flux of Organic Carbon in the Global Ocean

The oceans play a fundamental role in the global carbon cycle, providing a sink for atmospheric carbon. Key to this role is the vertical transport of organic carbon from the surface to the deep ocean. This transport is a product of a diverse range of physical and biogeochemical processes that determine the formation and fate of this material, and in particular how much carbon is sequestered in the deep ocean. Models can be used to both diagnose biogeochemical processes and predict how the various processes will change in the future. Global biogeochemical models use simplified representations of food webs and processes but are converging on values for the export of organic carbon from the surface ocean. Other models concentrate on understanding specific processes and can be used to develop parameterizations for global models. Model development is continuing by adding representations and parameterizations of higher trophic levels and mesopelagic processes, and these are expected to improve model performance.