[Seminar] "An integrated coastal ecosystem model and its applications (Marine CoMET)” by Prof. Takashi Nakamura

Speaker:

Prof. Takashi Nakamura, Associate Professor, Institute of Science Tokyo

Abstract:

Coastal ecosystems are affected by both global and local environmental changes. Assessing these impacts and projecting the future of ecosystems is important for the sustainable use of ecosystem services and fishery resources. To address this challenge, we developed an integrated land-ocean-benthic and pelagic ecosystem model to simulate environmental changes, dispersion of terrestrial loads into coastal areas, and their ecological impacts.

We estimate these terrestrial loads using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool Plus (SWAT+), which calculates freshwater, sediment, and nutrient runoff from land to sea. The coastal physical environment is simulated with a coupling framework of the ocean model ROMS and the wave model SWAN, through the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST) Modeling System (Warner et al., 2010). Higher spatial resolution is achieved by a multi-nesting approach, downscaling from global and regional ocean analysis/reanalysis products.

This land-ocean model is further coupled with the newly developed Marine Coupled pelagic–benthic ecosystem Model with Element Tracers (Marine CoMET; Nakamura et al., in prep.), an ecosystem model that integrates benthic and pelagic biogeochemical processes. A unique feature of Marine CoMET is the explicit incorporation of isotopic tracers into carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles, represented by carbon-13, nitrogen-15, and a phosphorus tracer, respectively. The integration of benthic organism models, including corals and seagrasses, provides a more comprehensive representation of coral reef ecosystems.

This talk will introduce case studies in Japan, including Sekisei Lagoon, Shiraho Reef, Ishigaki Island, Shizugawa Bay, and Tokyo Bay, demonstrating applications of the integrated coastal ecosystem model for environmental assessment, future projections, and ecosystem management.

 Profile:

Takashi Nakamura (中村 隆志) is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Science Tokyo. His work focuses on the development of advanced marine ecosystem models that couple hydrodynamics with biogeochemical and physiological processes, including CO₂ system dynamics and material cycles in coastal areas. His research integrates ecosystem modeling from organismal scales (coral polyp metabolism) to regional scales, remote sensing of coral reef habitats, and environmental monitoring.