AWESOME OCIM: A simple, flexible, and powerful tool for modeling elemental cycling in the oceans

Here we present a new flexible modeling tool for simulating the distribution of tracers in the modern ocean. A Working Environment for Simulating Ocean Movement and Elemental cycling within an Ocean Circulation Inverse Model, the AWESOME OCIM, is a transport matrix model (TMM) which is specifically designed to be easy, accessible, and intuitive, even for scientists without prior modeling experience. The AWESOME OCIM comes with a variety of selectable biogeochemical functions, including sources (atmospheric dust, hydrothermal vents, and seafloor nepheloid layers), internal cycling processes (biological uptake, remineralization, and scavenging), and sinks (radioactive decay and burial of particles in the sediments). A wide variety of elements can be simulated through different combinations of this suite of processes. We anticipate that the AWESOME OCIM will be a valuable tool for interpreting transect data from ocean surveys, particularly the trace-elements and isotopes distributions mapped by the ongoing GEOTRACES program. This manuscript provides an introduction to the philosophical, mathematical, and functional basis of the AWESOME OCIM.