Shuang Gao from Bjerkens Center for Climate Research in Norway, and colleagues from Germany and the United States explored future changes in marine primary production and carbon uptake under climate scenarios using the Norwegian Earth-system model, with four river transport configurations incorporating established future economic development and nutrient-use efficiency pathways. The researchers find that riverine nutrient inputs lessen nutrient limitation under warmer conditions. In the future, the effect of increased riverine carbon may be larger than the effect of nutrient inputs on the projections of ocean carbon uptake. In the historical period, increased nutrient inputs are considered the most prominent driver of carbon uptake. The results of this study are subject to model limitations, and high-resolution models should be used to assess the future impact.
Source: Ecology - nature.com
