Skill assessment of the coupled physical-biological model ECOSMO

The coupled physical-biological model ECOSMO (ECOSystem Model) is used in hindcast operational mode to study climate variability of the North Sea-Baltic Sea ecosystem. Results of the model are currently utilized in the frame of different interdisciplinary applications, studying the impact of climatic induced variability of biotic and abiotic environmental conditions on growth and survival during early life stages (egg-, larvae and juvenile phase) for a number of different key species. The success of linking physical and biological processes on different trophic levels crucially depends on the quality of models used and understanding of results from these coupling exercises require clear measures of model skills and assessment of model weaknesses for a variety of model variables on different spatial and temporal time scales. For the coupled physical-biological model ECOSMO extensive validation exercises have been performed for physical as well as biological variables. Results from these validation exercises will be presented and the skill of the model will be discussed for different variables.