A model study on carbon cycle and phytoplankton dynamical processes in the Bohai Sea

The carbon cycle of lower trophic level in the Bohai Sea is studied with a three-dimension-al biological and physical coupled model. The influences of the processes (including horizontal advection,river nutrient load, active transport etc. ) on the phytoplankton biomass and its evolution are estimated.The Bohai Sea is a weak sink of the CO2 in the atmosphere. During the cycle, 13.7% of the gross pro-duction of the phytoplankton enter the higher trophic level and 76.8 % of it are consumed by the respira-tion itself. The nutrient reproduction comes mainly from the internal biogeochemical loop and the rem-ineralization is an important mechanism of the nutrient transfer from organic form to inorganic. Horizon-tal advection decreases the total biomass and the eutrophication in some sea areas. Change in the nutrientload of a river can only adjust the local system near its estuary. Controlling the input of the nutrient,which limits the alga growth, can be very useful in lessening the phytoplankton biomass.