scholarly journals A systematic approach for comparing modeled biospheric carbon fluxes across regional scales

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 1579-1593 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. N. Huntzinger ◽  
S. M. Gourdji ◽  
K. L. Mueller ◽  
A. M. Michalak
Keyword(s):  
Variable Selection ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Carbon Flux ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Model Formulation ◽  
Variogram Analysis ◽  
Fire Emissions

Abstract. Given the large differences between biospheric model estimates of regional carbon exchange, there is a need to understand and reconcile the predicted spatial variability of fluxes across models. This paper presents a set of quantitative tools that can be applied to systematically compare flux estimates despite the inherent differences in model formulation. The presented methods include variogram analysis, variable selection, and geostatistical regression. These methods are evaluated in terms of their ability to assess and identify differences in spatial variability in flux estimates across North America among a small subset of models, as well as differences in the environmental drivers that best explain the spatial variability of predicted fluxes. The examined models are the Simple Biosphere (SiB 3.0), Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA), and CASA coupled with the Global Fire Emissions Database (CASA GFEDv2), and the analyses are performed on model-predicted net ecosystem exchange, gross primary production, and ecosystem respiration. Variogram analysis reveals consistent seasonal differences in spatial variability among modeled fluxes at a 1° × 1° spatial resolution. However, significant differences are observed in the overall magnitude of the carbon flux spatial variability across models, in both net ecosystem exchange and component fluxes. Results of the variable selection and geostatistical regression analyses suggest fundamental differences between the models in terms of the factors that explain the spatial variability of predicted flux. For example, carbon flux is more strongly correlated with percent land cover in CASA GFEDv2 than in SiB or CASA. Some of the differences in spatial patterns of estimated flux can be linked back to differences in model formulation, and would have been difficult to identify simply by comparing net fluxes between models. Overall, the systematic approach presented here provides a set of tools for comparing predicted grid-scale fluxes across models, a task that has historically been difficult unless standardized forcing data were prescribed, or a detailed sensitivity analysis performed.

scholarly journals A quantitative approach for comparing modeled biospheric carbon flux estimates across regional scales

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 7903-7943
Author(s):  
D. N. Huntzinger ◽  
S. M. Gourdji ◽  
K. L. Mueller ◽  
A. M. Michalak
Keyword(s):  
Variable Selection ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Carbon Flux ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Quantitative Approach ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Model Formulation ◽  
Variogram Analysis ◽  
Fire Emissions

Abstract. Given the large differences between biospheric model estimates of regional carbon exchange, there is a need to understand and reconcile the predicted spatial variability of fluxes across models. This paper presents a set of quantitative tools that can be applied for comparing flux estimates in light of the inherent differences in model formulation. The presented methods include variogram analysis, variable selection, and geostatistical regression. These methods are evaluated in terms of their ability to assess and identify differences in spatial variability in flux estimates across North America among a small subset of models, as well as differences in the environmental drivers that appear to have the greatest control over the spatial variability of predicted fluxes. The examined models are the Simple Biosphere (SiB 3.0), Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA), and CASA coupled with the Global Fire Emissions Database (CASA GFEDv2), and the analyses are performed on model-predicted net ecosystem exchange, gross primary production, and ecosystem respiration. Variogram analysis reveals consistent seasonal differences in spatial variability among modeled fluxes at a 1°×1° spatial resolution. However, significant differences are observed in the overall magnitude of the carbon flux spatial variability across models, in both net ecosystem exchange and component fluxes. Results of the variable selection and geostatistical regression analyses suggest fundamental differences between the models in terms of the factors that control the spatial variability of predicted flux. For example, carbon flux is more strongly correlated with percent land cover in CASA GFEDv2 than in SiB or CASA. Some of these factors can be linked back to model formulation, and would have been difficult to identify simply by comparing net fluxes between models. Overall, the quantitative approach presented here provides a set of tools for comparing predicted grid-scale fluxes across models, a task that has historically been difficult unless standardized forcing data were prescribed or a detailed sensitivity analysis was performed.

scholarly journals Evaluating the agreement between measurements and models of net ecosystem exchange at different times and time scales using wavelet coherence: an example using data from the North American Carbon Program Site-Level Interim Synthesis

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 3039-3077 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Stoy ◽  
M. Dietze ◽  
A. D. Richardson ◽  
R. Vargas ◽  
A. G. Barr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Scales ◽  
North American ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Wavelet Coherence ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Spectral Energy ◽  
Foliar Nitrogen ◽  
The North

Abstract. Earth system processes exhibit complex patterns across time, as do the models that seek to replicate these processes. Model output may or may not be significantly related to observations at different times and on different frequencies. Conventional model diagnostics provide an aggregate view of model-data agreement, but usually do not identify the time and frequency patterns of model misfit, leaving unclear the steps required to improve model response to environmental drivers that vary on characteristic frequencies. Wavelet coherence can quantify the times and frequencies at which models and measurements are significantly different. We applied wavelet coherence to interpret the predictions of twenty ecosystem models from the North American Carbon Program (NACP) Site-Level Interim Synthesis when confronted with eddy covariance-measured net ecosystem exchange (NEE) from ten ecosystems with multiple years of available data. Models were grouped into classes with similar approaches for incorporating phenology, the calculation of NEE, and the inclusion of foliar nitrogen (N). Models with prescribed, rather than prognostic, phenology often fit NEE observations better on annual to interannual time scales in grassland, wetland and agricultural ecosystems. Models that calculate NEE as net primary productivity (NPP) minus heterotrophic respiration (HR) rather than gross ecosystem productivity (GPP) minus ecosystem respiration (ER) fit better on annual time scales in grassland and wetland ecosystems, but models that calculate NEE as GPP – ER were superior on monthly to seasonal time scales in two coniferous forests. Models that incorporated foliar nitrogen (N) data were successful at capturing NEE variability on interannual (multiple year) time scales at Howland Forest, Maine. Combined with previous findings, our results suggest that the mechanisms driving daily and annual NEE variability tend to be correctly simulated, but the magnitude of these fluxes is often erroneous, suggesting that model parameterization must be improved. Few NACP models correctly predicted fluxes on seasonal and interannual time scales where spectral energy in NEE observations tends to be low, but where phenological events, multi-year oscillations in climatological drivers, and ecosystem succession are known to be important for determining ecosystem function. Mechanistic improvements to models must be made to replicate observed NEE variability on seasonal and interannual time scales.

Long-term effects of precipitation removal manipulations on soil carbon balance and exchange in a Danish heathland/grassland ecosystem

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiaoyan Li ◽  
Klaus Steenberg Larsen ◽  
Per Gundersen
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Carbon Flux ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Soil Substrate

<p>The influence of drought on terrestrial carbon cycling has received great attention because of the increasing frequency of extreme drought events in climate scenarios. In the CLIMAITE experiment, we have exposed plots to reduced precipitation since 2006. During the first years, precipitation was only reduced for 4-6 weeks during spring/early summer. In order to increase our focus on finding thresholds for functional and structural change in the ecosystem, the experiment was redesigned towards more extreme manipulations in June 2016 using a new gradient design continuously removing 40, 50, and 66% of ambient precipitation with permanent rainout shelters.</p><p>Rates of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration (R<sub>E</sub>) and soil respiration (Rs) are measured inside treatment plots using an LI-6400 connected to a custom-built 210L transparent chamber (for NEE) that can be darkened (for RE) as well as a 1L dark chamber (for Rs). In addition, environmental variables such as soil temperature, precipitation, soil water content and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) are recorded continuously at the plot or site level. In addition, soil cores from the different treatments will be collected and analyzed for soil substrate (e.g. soil organic carbon) and incubated in the lab for analysis of Q<sub>10</sub>.  Using the observations from the field and the lab together we will develop a new multiple regression model to fit the CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes under severe precipitation removal treatments.</p><p> </p><p>To obtain more reliable and accurate estimates of the seasonal and annual responses of soil carbon flux exchange under precipitation change scenarios, the change in soil water content and temperature, the soil substrate availability as well as the variation of the frequency and timing of precipitation events are included in the carbon flux model. The fitting of models to the observational data will reveal if functional/structural thresholds for the carbon exchange have been exceeded in the ecosystem, thus providing novel experimental and modeling evidence for such thresholds.</p>

scholarly journals Effects of experimental nitrogen deposition on peatland carbon pools and fluxes: a modelling analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Wu ◽  
C. Blodau ◽  
T. R. Moore ◽  
J. Bubier ◽  
S. Juutinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
N Content ◽  
Modelling Analysis

Abstract. Nitrogen (N) pollution of peatlands alters their carbon (C) balances, yet long-term effects and controls are poorly understood. We applied the model PEATBOG to explore impacts of long-term nitrogen (N) fertilization on C cycling in an ombrotrophic bog. Simulations of summer gross ecosystem production (GEP), ecosystem respiration (ER) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) were evaluated against 8 years of observations and extrapolated for 80 years to identify potential effects of N fertilization and factors influencing model behaviour. The model successfully simulated moss decline and raised GEP, ER and NEE on fertilized plots. GEP was systematically overestimated in the model compared to the field data due to factors that can be related to differences in vegetation distribution (e.g. shrubs vs. graminoid vegetation) and to high tolerance of vascular plants to N deposition in the model. Model performance regarding the 8-year response of GEP and NEE to N input was improved by introducing an N content threshold shifting the response of photosynthetic capacity (GEPmax) to N content in shrubs and graminoids from positive to negative at high N contents. Such changes also eliminated the competitive advantages of vascular species and led to resilience of mosses in the long-term. Regardless of the large changes of C fluxes over the short-term, the simulated GEP, ER and NEE after 80 years depended on whether a graminoid- or shrub-dominated system evolved. When the peatland remained shrub–Sphagnum-dominated, it shifted to a C source after only 10 years of fertilization at 6.4 g N m−2 yr−1, whereas this was not the case when it became graminoid-dominated. The modelling results thus highlight the importance of ecosystem adaptation and reaction of plant functional types to N deposition, when predicting the future C balance of N-polluted cool temperate bogs.

scholarly journals Evaluating terrestrial CO<sub>2</sub> flux diagnoses and uncertainties from a simple land surface model and its residuals

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. W. Hilton ◽  
K. J. Davis ◽  
K. Keller
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Parameter Estimation ◽  
North American ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Considerable Uncertainty

Abstract. Global terrestrial atmosphere–ecosystem carbon dioxide fluxes are well constrained by the concentration and isotopic composition of atmospheric carbon dioxide. In contrast, considerable uncertainty persists surrounding regional contributions to the net global flux as well as the impacts of atmospheric and biological processes that drive the net flux. These uncertainties severely limit our ability to make confident predictions of future terrestrial biological carbon fluxes. Here we use a simple light-use efficiency land surface model (the Vegetation Photosynthesis Respiration Model, VPRM) driven by remotely sensed temperature, moisture, and phenology to diagnose North American gross ecosystem exchange (GEE), ecosystem respiration, and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) for the period 2001 to 2006. We optimize VPRM parameters to eddy covariance (EC) NEE observations from 65 North American FluxNet sites. We use a separate set of 27 cross-validation FluxNet sites to evaluate a range of spatial and temporal resolutions for parameter estimation. With these results we demonstrate that different spatial and temporal groupings of EC sites for parameter estimation achieve similar sum of squared residuals values through radically different spatial patterns of NEE. We also derive a regression model to estimate observed VPRM errors as a function of VPRM NEE, temperature, and precipitation. Because this estimate is based on model-observation residuals it is comprehensive of all the error sources present in modeled fluxes. We find that 1 km interannual variability in VPRM NEE is of similar magnitude to estimated 1 km VPRM NEE errors.

Ecological responses of Stipa steppe in Inner Mongolia to experimentally increased temperature and precipitation. 4. Carbon exchange

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luomeng Chao ◽  
Zhiqiang Wan ◽  
Yulong Yan ◽  
Rui Gu ◽  
Yali Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Carbon Exchange ◽  
Ecosystem Productivity ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Gross Ecosystem Productivity

Aspects of carbon exchange were investigated in typical steppe east of Xilinhot city in Inner Mongolia. Four treatments with four replicates were imposed in a randomised block design: Control (C), warming (T), increased precipitation (P) and combined warming and increased precipitation (TP). Increased precipitation significantly increased both ecosystem respiration (ER) and soil respiration (SR) rates. Warming significantly reduced the ER rate but not the SR rate. The combination of increased precipitation and warming produced an intermediate response. The sensitivity of ER and SR to soil temperature and air temperature was assessed by calculating Q10 values: the increase in respiration for a 10°C increase in temperature. Q10 was lowest under T and TP, and highest under P. Both ER and SR all had significantly positive correlation with soil moisture. Increased precipitation increased net ecosystem exchange and gross ecosystem productivity, whereas warming reduced them. The combination of warming and increased precipitation had an intermediate effect. Both net ecosystem exchange and gross ecosystem productivity were positively related to soil moisture and negatively related to soil and air temperature. These findings suggest that predicted climate change in this region, involving both increased precipitation and warmer temperatures, will increase the net ecosystem exchange in the Stipa steppe meaning that the ecosystem will fix more carbon.

scholarly journals From sink to source: long-term (2002-2019) trends and anomalies in net ecosystem exchange of CO2 from a Scottish temperate peatland.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Hei-Laan Yeung ◽  
Carole Helfter ◽  
Neil Mullinger ◽  
Mhairi Coyle ◽  
Eiko Nemitz
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Water Table Depth ◽  
Sink Strength ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
C Cycle ◽  
Dry Spell

&lt;p&gt;Peatlands North of 45&amp;#730; represent one of the largest terrestrial carbon (C) stores. They play an important role in the global C-cycle, and their ability to sequester carbon is controlled by multiple, often competing, factors including precipitation, temperature and phenology. Land-atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide (CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) is dynamic, and exhibits marked seasonal and inter-annual variations which can effect the overall carbon sink strength in both the short- and long-term.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Due to increased incidences of climate anomalies in recent years, long-term datasets are essential to disambiguate natural variability in Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) from shorter-term fluctuations. This is particularly important at high latitudes (&gt;45&amp;#730;N) where the majority of global peatlands are found. With increasing pressure from stressors such as climate and land-use change, it has been predicted that with a ca. 3&lt;sup&gt;o&lt;/sup&gt;C global temperature rise by 2100, UK peatlands could become a net source of C.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;NEE of CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; has been measured using the eddy-covariance (EC) method at Auchencorth Moss (55&amp;#176;47&amp;#8217;32 N, 3&amp;#176;14&amp;#8217;35 W, 267 m a.s.l.), a temperate, lowland, ombrotrophic peatland in central Scotland, continuously since 2002. Alongside EC data, we present a range of meteorological parameters measured at site including soil temperature, total solar and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), rainfall, and, since April 2007, half-hourly water table depth readings. The length of record and range of measurements make this dataset an important resource as one of the longest term records of CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; fluxes from a temperate peatland.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although seasonal cycles of gross primary productivity (GPP) were highly variable between years, the site was a consistent CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; sink for the period 2002-2012. However, net annual losses of CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; have been recorded on several occasions since 2013. Whilst NEE tends to be positively correlated with the length of growing season, anomalies in winter weather also explain some of the variability in CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; sink strength the following summer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, water table depth (WTD) plays a crucial role, affecting both GPP and ecosystem respiration (R&lt;sub&gt;eco&lt;/sub&gt;). Relatively dry summers in recent years have contributed to shifting the balance between R&lt;sub&gt;eco&lt;/sub&gt; and GPP: prolonged periods of low WTD were typically accompanied by an increase in R&lt;sub&gt;eco&lt;/sub&gt;, and a decrease in GPP, hence weakening the overall CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; sink strength. Extreme events such as drought periods and cold winter temperatures can have significant and complex effects on NEE, particularly when such meteorological anomalies co-occur. For example, a positive annual NEE occurred in 2003 when Europe experienced heatwave and summer drought. More recently, an unusually long spell of snow lasting until the end of March delayed the onset of the 2018 growing season by up to 1.5 months compared to previous years. This was followed by a prolonged dry spell in summer 2018, which weakened GPP, increased R&lt;sub&gt;eco&lt;/sub&gt; and led to a net annual loss of 47.4 ton CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;-C km&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;. It is clear that the role of Northern peatlands within the carbon cycle is being modified, driven by changes in climate at both local and global scales.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Towards a standardized processing of Net Ecosystem Exchange measured with eddy covariance technique: algorithms and uncertainty estimation

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Papale ◽  
M. Reichstein ◽  
M. Aubinet ◽  
E. Canfora ◽  
C. Bernhofer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystem ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Eddy Covariance Technique ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
European Database

Abstract. Eddy covariance technique to measure CO2, water and energy fluxes between biosphere and atmosphere is widely spread and used in various regional networks. Currently more than 250 eddy covariance sites are active around the world measuring carbon exchange at high temporal resolution for different biomes and climatic conditions. In this paper a new standardized set of corrections is introduced and the uncertainties associated with these corrections are assessed for eight different forest sites in Europe with a total of 12 yearly datasets. The uncertainties introduced on the two components GPP (Gross Primary Production) and TER (Terrestrial Ecosystem Respiration) are also discussed and a quantitative analysis presented. Through a factorial analysis we find that generally, uncertainties by different corrections are additive without interactions and that the heuristic u*-correction introduces the largest uncertainty. The results show that a standardized data processing is needed for an effective comparison across biomes and for underpinning inter-annual variability. The methodology presented in this paper has also been integrated in the European database of the eddy covariance measurements.

scholarly journals Delayed responses of an Arctic ecosystem to an extreme summer: impacts on net ecosystem exchange and vegetation functioning

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5877-5888 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Zona ◽  
D. A. Lipson ◽  
J. H. Richards ◽  
G. K. Phoenix ◽  
A. K. Liljedahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extreme Events ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Co2 Uptake ◽  
Lag Effects ◽  
Tundra Ecosystem ◽  
Co2 Sink ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The importance and consequences of extreme events on the global carbon budget are inadequately understood. This includes the differential impact of extreme events on various ecosystem components, lag effects, recovery times, and compensatory processes. In the summer of 2007 in Barrow, Arctic Alaska, there were unusually high air temperatures (the fifth warmest summer over a 65-year period) and record low precipitation (the lowest over a 65-year period). These abnormal conditions were associated with substantial desiccation of the Sphagnum layer and a reduced net Sphagnum CO2 sink but did not affect net ecosystem exchange (NEE) from this wet-sedge arctic tundra ecosystem. Microbial biomass, NH4+ availability, gross primary production (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (Reco) were generally greater during this extreme summer. The cumulative ecosystem CO2 sink in 2007 was similar to the previous summers, suggesting that vascular plants were able to compensate for Sphagnum CO2 uptake, despite the impact on other functions and structure such as desiccation of the Sphagnum layer. Surprisingly, the lowest ecosystem CO2 sink over a five summer record (2005–2009) was observed during the 2008 summer (~70% lower), directly following the unusually warm and dry summer, rather than during the extreme summer. This sink reduction cannot solely be attributed to the potential damage to mosses, which typically contribute ~40% of the entire ecosystem CO2 sink. Importantly, the return to a substantial cumulative CO2 sink occurred two summers after the extreme event, which suggests a substantial resilience of this tundra ecosystem to at least an isolated extreme event. Overall, these results show a complex response of the CO2 sink and its sub-components to atypically warm and dry conditions. The impact of multiple extreme events requires further investigation.

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