Development of a Mesoscale‐ and Tide‐Resolving Ocean–Biogeochemistry Model for the Pacific: Tidal Enhancement of the Biological Carbon Pump

Abstract This study presents a new physical‐biogeochemical simulation of the Pacific Ocean that resolves mesoscale dynamics and explicitly includes tidal forcing. The primary objective is to develop and document a modeling framework that serves both as a detailed record of model configuration and forcing preparation, and as a reference for future regional downscaling. The model is extensively evaluated against physical and biogeochemical data sets and successfully reproduces large‐scale circulation patterns and key biogeochemical features. The second objective is to assess the impact of explicitly including tidal forcing on primary production and carbon export, thereby clarifying the biogeochemical consequences of tidal dynamics. While tides are known to energize high‐frequency motions, their influence on ocean biogeochemistry remains insufficiently constrained. By comparing simulations with and without tidal forcing, we show that tides enhance net primary production and particulate organic carbon export, particularly in coastal zones and the eastern equatorial Pacific. Basin‐wide, tidal forcing increases biological carbon uptake by approximately 0.45 PgC and export by 0.09 PgC . This enhancement is primarily driven by tide‐induced advection–mixing interactions, which increase nutrient supply to the surface and stimulate biological productivity. These findings underscore the importance of including tides in ocean biogeochemical models to improve estimates of the global carbon cycle and refine projections of future oceanic carbon uptake.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
Published
2026-03-31
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025ms005458
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
17.85

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article

Development of a Mesoscale‐ and Tide‐Resolving Ocean–Biogeochemistry Model for the Pacific: Tidal Enhancement of the Biological Carbon Pump

Jérôme Guiet, Pierre Damien, Daniel McCoy, J. C. McWilliams et al.
2 citations
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
17.85
article

Development of a Mesoscale‐ and Tide‐Resolving Ocean–Biogeochemistry Model for the Pacific: Tidal Enhancement of the Biological Carbon Pump

Jérôme Guiet, Pierre Damien, Daniel McCoy, J. C. McWilliams, Jeroen Molemaker, Devin Dollery
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Abstract This study presents a new physical‐biogeochemical simulation of the Pacific Ocean that resolves mesoscale dynamics and explicitly includes tidal forcing. The primary objective is to develop and document a modeling framework that serves both as a detailed record of model configuration and forcing preparation, and as a reference for future regional downscaling. The model is extensively evaluated against physical and biogeochemical data sets and successfully reproduces large‐scale circulation patterns and key biogeochemical features. The second objective is to assess the impact of explicitly including tidal forcing on primary production and carbon export, thereby clarifying the biogeochemical consequences of tidal dynamics. While tides are known to energize high‐frequency motions, their influence on ocean biogeochemistry remains insufficiently constrained. By comparing simulations with and without tidal forcing, we show that tides enhance net primary production and particulate organic carbon export, particularly in coastal zones and the eastern equatorial Pacific. Basin‐wide, tidal forcing increases biological carbon uptake by approximately 0.45 PgC and export by 0.09 PgC . This enhancement is primarily driven by tide‐induced advection–mixing interactions, which increase nutrient supply to the surface and stimulate biological productivity. These findings underscore the importance of including tides in ocean biogeochemical models to improve estimates of the global carbon cycle and refine projections of future oceanic carbon uptake.

Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth SystemsVol. 18(4)
University of California, Los Angeles (US), Carnegie Observatories (US), Stanford University (US)
National Science Foundation, Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, Office of Naval Research
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
17.85
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