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Mathematical Paradigms of Climate Science pp 3–14Cite as

A Mathematical Perspective on Microbial Processes in Earth’s Biogeochemical Cycles

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Part of the book series: Springer INdAM Series ((SINDAMS,volume 15))

Abstract

The quantitative analysis of biogeochemical cycles interfaces numerous scientific disciplines. These cycles are largely driven by the activity of microorganisms, which needs to be described in mathematical models. Numerous challenges arise from this: First, the challenge of scale, connecting microbes to global patterns across many orders of magnitude. Second, the mathematical treatment of complex natural processes require - aside from expert knowledge - the use of systematic and objective model reduction schemes. Third, models and diverse data need to be integrated efficiently. Here we discuss these three challenges, highlight promising avenues for the expansion of mathematical approaches in the study of Earth’s biogeochemical cycles and propose concerted educational efforts fostering collaborations in mathematical and geoscience research to advance the field.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the organizers of the workshop on “Mathematical paradigms of climate change” for their hospitality and the opportunity to discuss some of the biogeochemical aspects in climate-relevant model formulations. This proceeding also benefitted from subsequent discussions at the US-NSF Workshop on ‘Expanding the role of reactive transport modeling within the Biogeochemical Sciences’, the Gordon Conference on Marine Microbes, and from discussions with A. Bracco and S. Joye. This is ECOGIG contribution #346.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Sciences, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Christof Meile

  2. Department of Mathematics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Chris Jones

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  1. Christof Meile
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Correspondence to Christof Meile .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy

    Fabio Ancona

  2. Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Roma - Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy

    Piermarco Cannarsa

  3. Department of Mathematics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Christopher Jones

  4. Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy

    Alessandro Portaluri

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Meile, C., Jones, C. (2016). A Mathematical Perspective on Microbial Processes in Earth’s Biogeochemical Cycles. In: Ancona, F., Cannarsa, P., Jones, C., Portaluri, A. (eds) Mathematical Paradigms of Climate Science. Springer INdAM Series, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39092-5_1

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