Cefas Ecopath Model: North Sea Ecosystem Biomass Trends 1991-2013

Model outputs from a key Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) run for the North Sea ecosystem. The data includes time series on biomass, catch, mortality, and feeding for 69 ecological groups from zooplankton to marine mammals. The model is published by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and used in ICES WGSAM investigations.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term biomass trends for 69 ecological groups based on the time series data.
• Investigating the multispecies impacts of fisheries based on catch and mortality outputs.
• Modeling ecosystem responses to climate and fishing pressure based on feeding relationships and group dynamics.

Strengths

• Covers 69 distinct ecological groups, providing a multispecies perspective.
• Time series spans over two decades (1991-2013), enabling trend analysis.
• Model is a published 'key run' used in official ICES (WGSAM) assessments.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and data volume are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), published in ICES WGSAM.

Collection Method

Outputs from an Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) ecosystem model.

Time Range

1991-2013

Freshness

Model run covers 1991-2013; last platform update date is unknown.

Geography

North Sea