Dieser Text ist zur Zeit nur auf Englisch verfügbar
Tropical coastal regions represent social-ecological systems at the intersection of land, ocean, and atmosphere. They host exceptional biodiversity, regulate global climate through blue carbon storage and heat absorption in the ocean, and sustain millions of livelihoods through fisheries, tourism, and coastal agriculture. Yet these regions remain underrepresented in current Earth system models, limiting our ability to understand how global change affects tropical coastal ecosystems and societies, and how these areas in turn influence the Earth system.
TropEcS (Modelling Socio-Economic Dimensions across Tropical Coastal Ecosystems and the Earth System) is a new research focus launched to strengthen ZMT’s integrated modelling capacities. It combines expertise in Earth system modelling – including physical ocean dynamics, biogeochemistry, ecosystem responses, and human-environment interactions – with ZMT’s long-standing strengths in tropical coastal research. This integration bridges detailed coastal process understanding and local knowledge with global and regional modelling, enabling a more comprehensive representation of tropical coastal areas within Earth system frameworks.
Figure 1: TropEcS vision for representation of coastal processes in Earth system models (ESMs). A represents a coastal cross-section in a typical ESM with coarse horizontal resolution, while B indicates the processes commonly represented in ESMs. C shows a conceptual downscaling needed for representation of the coastal area, and D illustrates ecosystem model components we envision to be represented within TropEcS.
Integrating Scales and Disciplines
TropEcS unites expertise across physical, biogeochemical, ecological, and social sciences to study the coupled dynamics of tropical coastal systems. Through advanced modelling, we aim to connect local ecosystem processes to global climate and biogeochemical feedbacks and provide a scientific foundation for more sustainable and adaptive management of coastal regions.
Figure 2: Illustration of interactions between sub-processes in Earth system modelling. Blue arrows represent established model linkages, while orange arrows highlight new interactions, aimed to be developed within TropEcS.
New Working Groups
Building on ZMT’s broad expertise in physical, biogeochemical, ecological, and social sciences, TropEcS has established new working groups that advance modelling approaches and link different components of the Earth system:
Our group investigates new modeling techniques and strategies for understanding the climate system, with a particular focus on representing ocean turbulence in tropical coastal regions. To achieve this, we run high-resolution simulations that directly capture as much of the turbulence spectrum as possible. For turbulent processes that remain unresolved, we develop and implement novel parameterizations.
Within this modeling framework, we study how turbulent transports of heat, energy, and tracers influence local circulation, biogeochemical dynamics, ecological processes, and the dispersion of pollutants. Our simulations also provide key input data for other research activities within ZMT and TropEcS, helping to connect the physical system with biogeochemical, ecological, and socio-economic perspectives.
Ultimately, our research aims to provide relevant information for coastal protection measures and economic adaptation strategies to face the implications of climate change in tropical coastal areas.
- Hydro-Geochemical Fluxes
The Hydro-Geochemical Fluxes Working Group investigates how tropical landscapes, hydrological systems, and human activities interact to control biogeochemical fluxes from land to sea. The group combines hydrological, hydrogeological, and geochemical models to track the movement of water, nutrients, and contaminants from terrestrial catchments to the coastal ocean. It explores how tropical land–ocean systems respond to environmental change and support sustainable coastal management.
- Earth Surface and Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics
The WG Earth Surface and Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics investigates the implications of functional diversity in terrestrial and aquatic components of Earth System Models. Specific research focuses on characterizing functional diversity patterns of terrestrial and aquatic organisms, as well as modelling co-evolution of life and landscapes
- Ecosystems and Resource Sustainability
The WG Ecosystems and Resource Sustainability aims to advance understanding of resource-providing marine ecosystems. The group develops and applies ecological models with a focus on mechanistic approaches that make use of ecophysiological knowledge, high-resolution ocean models and stakeholder participation, to co-develop region-specific sustainable adaptation strategies together with coastal communities.
- Future Oceans and Fisheries
The Future Oceans and Fisheries Working Group investigates how climate change and resource use shape tropical marine ecosystems, fisheries, and livelihoods through integrated socio-ecological modeling and scenario analysis. The group uses marine ecosystem models to explore sustainable fisheries strategies and pathways to resilient tropical food systems.
By combining the expertise of these research groups, TropEcS establishes an integrated framework connecting physical dynamics, ecosystem processes, and Earth system components across scales. The research of these groups will be complemented by additional insights from social scientists, economists, and biogeochemists to further enrich the representation of tropical coastal systems and support a scientific foundation for more sustainable and resilient coastal management.
Scientific Vision
By connecting modelling, conceptual knowledge, data science, and field research, TropEcS will build a framework to explore critical questions of coastal resilience under global change. Its vision is to develop a unified coastal modelling perspective that links local and global scales while integrating natural and human dimensions.
Equitable partnerships and enduring research collaborations, both between the Global North and South and within South–South networks, are central to this vision. These collaborations aim to form strong, inclusive communities of expertise, equipping the next generation of scientists and modellers with the knowledge and capacity to advance this field of research.
Team at the TropEcS Symposium: Gabriela Garcia, Camilla Novaglio, Subhendu Chakraborty, Murugan Ramasamy, Alexandra Klemme, Esteban Acevedo-Trejos, Stefan Koenigstein, Maxime Colin, Michael Kriegl | Photo: ZMT
Kontakte 
