On 24 September 2025, around 30 members of the natESM community came together at DKRZ in Hamburg for the Focus Workshop on Ocean Biogeochemistry (OBGC). The aim was to take stock of the current modeling landscape, to discuss integration challenges, and to identify opportunities for strengthening interfaces with other natESM components.
The morning presentations provided a broad overview of the diverse OBGC modeling activities across institutes. In the afternoon, based on these inputs and an overview by RSE Wilton Jaciel Loch on technical integration pathways, the community engaged in an open and constructive discussion on how to combine efforts and build a sustainable natESM system with a maintainable OBGC component.
The workshop marked an important first step toward building a sustainable, community-driven OBGC framework. The community agreed to establish an OBGC working group, co-led by Judith Hauck (AWI) and Carsten Lemmen (Hereon), to guide the next steps over the coming months. If you want to join the working group, please reach out to us.
Welcome and Introduction
- Jochem Marotzke (MPI-M, natESM Co-Chair): Welcome and short input on natESM and purpose of the workshop
Community presentations – Ocean Biogeochemistry Modeling
- Judith Hauck (AWI): Regulated Ecosystem Model (REcoM): Recent advances and plans ahead
- Tatiana Ilyina (UHH/MPI-M): Ocean Biogeochemistry in the ICON Framework: Challenges and Opportunities
- Kai Logemann (Hereon): ECOSMO and ECOSMO_E2E: Perspectives and integration challenges
- Andreas Oschlies (GEOMAR): OPEM: Optimality-based non-Redfield Plankton-Ecosystem Model, overview and recent developments
- Nicolas Gruber (ETH Zürich): Why we need more "bio" in high-resolution biogeochemistry modeling
Open discussion - Integration pathways in natESM
- Wilton Jaciel Loch (DKRZ): Overview of technical integration pathways and interface requirements in natESM
