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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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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