Numerical modelling of POC dynamics in the Southern Baltic under possible future conditions determined by nutrients, light and temperature

This paper discusses predictions of particulate organic carbon (POC) concentra- tions in the southern Baltic Sea. The study is based on the one-dimensional Particulate Organic Carbon Model (1D POC), described in detail by Dzierzbicka- Głowacka et al. (2010a). The POC concentration is determined as the sum of phytoplankton, zoo- plankton and dead organic matter (detritus) concentrations. Temporal changes in the phytoplankton biomass are caused by primary production, mortality, grazing by zooplankton and sinking. The zooplankton biomass is affected by ingestion, excretion, faecal production, mortality and carnivorous grazing. The changes in the pelagic detritus concentration are determined by the input of dead phytoplankton and zooplankton, the natural mortality of predators, faecal pellets, and sinks – sedimentation, zooplankton grazing and biochemical decomposition. The model simulations were done for selected locations in the southern Baltic Sea (Gdańsk Deep, Bornholm Deep and Gotland Deep) under predicted conditions characterized by changes of temperature, nutrient concentrations and light availability. The results cover the daily, monthly, seasonal and annual POC concentration patterns in the upper water layer. If the assumed trends in light, nutrients and temperature in the southern Baltic correctly predict the conditions in 2050, our calculations indicate that we can expect a two- to three-fold increase in POC concentration in late spring and a shift towards postponed maximum POC concentration. It can also be anticipated that, as a result of the increase in POC, oxygenation of the water layer beneath the halocline will decrease, while the supply of food to organisms at higher trophic levels will increase.