Mediterranean Ecosystem
Analysis and Forecast

A new paper showing how chromatic adaptation shapes the biogeography of phytoplankton functional types in the Mediterranean Sea has been recently published in Progress in Oceanography. The study integrates several novel elements in the Biogeochemical Flux Model (BFM): it includes a bio-optical component that simulates how the different wavelengths of light propagate through the water column, represents nine optically different phytoplankton functional types (PFTs) and explores how the chromatic characteristics of the PFTs allow them to use the available wavelengths of light.

The Ecological Modelling Group (ECHO) of the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) has just opened three postdoc positions for marine ecosystem modellers. The formal call is available at the website https://www.inogs.it/en/node/1799. The deadline for application is 21/01/2022. A brief description of the three positions with a summary of the relevant information is in attachment. For general scientific enquiries regarding the positions, please contact: Stefano Querin (squerin@inogs.it, position n. 1), Simone Libralato (slibralato@inogs.it, position n.

The Mediterranean biogeochemical reanalysis of the Copernicus Marine Service has been recently published in Frontiers in Marine Science and provides information on changes and variability in the Mediterranean Sea over the past decades. The reanalysis integrates several novel elements: ERA5 atmospheric forcing, coupling with the new 1/24° physical reanalysis, updated versions of the BFM model and biogeochemical variational assimilation scheme, and several updated observational datasets for assimilation and validation purposes.