Implementing Riverine Biogeochemical Inputs in ECCO-Darwin: a Critical Step Forward for a Pioneering Data-Assimilative Global-Ocean Biogeochemistry Model

Resolving riverine biogeochemical inputs in ocean biogeochemistry models is pivotal for capturing the spatiotemporal variability of nutrients and carbon in coastal regions and in the global ocean. ECCO-Darwin is a pioneering data-assimilative global-ocean biogeochemistry model, which, to date, has focused on the pelagic zone. As a key step towards improving the representation of coastal regions in ECCO-Darwin, we add lateral inputs of carbon, nitrogen, and silica and evaluate the model response with regard to primary production and ocean carbon cycling. We generate riverine inputs by combining point-source freshwater discharge from JRA55-do with the Global NEWS 2 watershed model, accounting for lateral inputs from 5171 watersheds worldwide. While adding carbon and nutrients along with freshwater improves biogeochemical skill in river plume regions and coastal waters, the open-ocean response may be overestimated due to an excess of carbon and nutrients advected offshore. This highlights the need for a more nuanced representation of land-to-ocean and nearshore processes for quantifying how global-ocean primary production and carbon cycling respond to land-to-ocean inputs.