DAR1: A Flexible Framework for Ecosystem Model Exploration

Global scale biogeochemical ocean models, such as the MIT-Darwin model, are important tools to help us understand the mechanisms which drive elemental cycles and marine planktonic ecosystems. However, these models are difficult to use and their complex outputs can make them tricky to interpret. Here we present DAR1, an easy-to-use framework written in Julia that maintains all of the ecological and chemical complexity present in the MIT-Darwin model while removing the computational and physical complexity. We provide three studies to showcase DAR1 features: a framework for nutrient amendment bottle experiments; a test of steady state assumptions on plankton community structure at the global scale; and a test of theoretical predictions for the niche space of nitrogen-fixing plankton. DAR1 is ideal for model based testing of ecological predictions from field and experimental observations while also providing access to modeling tools for the non-expert.