Design and Parameterization of a Spatially Explicit Ecosystem Model of the Central California Current

摘要

Widespread declines in the status of species and habitats in marine ecosystems have led to calls for ecosystem-scale management as a strategy to restore our oceans. Implementing ecosystem-based management requires an understanding of the complex dynamics of marine ecosystems as well as an understanding of how humans fit into the system. The Atlantis modeling framework integrates physical, chemical, ecological, and anthropogenic processes in a three-dimensional, spatially explicit domain. As such, Atlantis can be a powerful tool for guiding ecosystem-based management. We present here the basic formulations and parameterization for the biology and physics of the Central California Atlantis Model (CCAM). For this work, we have built on the framework developed in NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-84, A Spatially Explicit Ecosystem Model of the California Current Food Web and Oceanography, adding spatial resolution and additional biological data that focus the model on central California. Our goal is to produce a robust simulation of the California Current ecosystem that will allow us to explore potential effects of natural and human-induced perturbations over a range of spatial and temporal scales.