Identification of primary productivity hotspots and their association with oceanographic phenomena in the coastal region off Central Norway

The coastal waters of Central Norway showcase a great biodiversity. The Froan archipelago and the coral reefs of the Sula rise are highly productive, with several species of fish, clams and crab. Results from the ocean model system SINMOD show a high primary production in the area as a result of internal waves at the shelf break in combination with strong tidal mixing at the bank area of the Froan archipelago. Oceanographic conditions strongly impact on the phytoplankton community structure and succession in this region (Fragoso et al., 2019, Fragoso et al. 2021). Spring bloom dynamics is further sensitive to rapid changes in weather in the region (Fragoso et al, in revision).

In this study, we use the coupled biophysical SINMOD model to explore spatiotemporal variations in primary production. We aim to correlate these variations with internal waves, tidal mixing, and eddies across different regions of the complex shelf area. The observations from previous studies will be used to assess the model prediction skill. We will further investigate the fate of carbon in the system and use the model results to locate potential hot spots of biodiversity by investigating vertical transport of carbon as well as recycling of carbon in the water column. This work is part of an ongoing interdisciplinary project AMBIOS that aims to develop a fully autonomous system for the discovery of, and navigation to, marine microbial biodiversity hotspots.