Thulwaneng Mashifane
PostDoc, CSIR/UCT, South Africa
KEYWORDS
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Modelling
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Biogeochemistry
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Parameterizations
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Biological pump
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Prediction
Short BIO
I am an AtlantECO ESR at both SOCCO–CSIR and MARiS–UCT, South Africa. I graduated with a Ph.D. in Ocean and Atmosphere Science from UCT, with my thesis focusing on the biogeochemical process in the Benguela upwelling system along the South Atlantic coast of Namibia and South Africa. The research from my studies contributed to more understanding of the oxygen minimum zone in this part of the ocean, nitrogen loss, and the generation of nitrous oxide which is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 265–298 times that of carbon dioxide for a 100–year timescale.
My current research within AtlantECO aims to contribute to modelling efforts in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean to improve our understanding of the biological pump.
Role in AtlantECO
My current research is focused on developing and validating model parameterisations of Southern Ocean biological processes for improved projections of the changing sensitivity of the biological carbon pump. The region of study for this research is located in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean.
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​My research falls under AtlantECO Working Package 6 (WP6): Advances in Model Predictability. The tasks I’m contributing to under WP6 include improving the design of existing biogeochemical models and assessing the predictive skills of these revised biogeochemical models.
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AtlantECO
Results
An assessment of the biogeochemical model at SOCCO has been achieved up to this point. Several experiments and sensitivity tests have been performed in the region of interest using a one–dimensional model. The results show that the parameters in the model can be tuned to improve the model but not the seasonal cycle. The next step is to reparametrize the processes in the model to correct this.