Including Croplands in a Global Biosphere Model: Methodology and Evaluation at Specific Sites

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Abstract
There is a strong international demand for quantitative estimates of both carbon sources/sinks, and water availability at the land surface at various spatial scales (regional to global). These estimates can be derived (and usually are) from global biosphere models, which simulate physiological, biogeochemical, and biophysical processes, using a variety of plant functional types. Now, the representation of the large area covered with managed land (e.g., croplands, grasslands) is still rather basic in these models, which were first designed to simulate natural ecosystems, while more and more land is heavily disturbed by man (crops cover ∼35% and grasslands ∼30%–40% of western Europe's area as a result of massive deforestation mainly in the Middle Ages). In this paper a methodology is presented that combines the use of a dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) known as Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems (ORCHIDEE) and a generic crop model [the Simulateur Multidisciplinaire pour les... Abstract There is a strong international demand for quantitative estimates of both carbon sources/sinks, and water availability at the land surface at various spatial scales (regional to global). These estimates can be derived (and usually are) from global biosphere models, which simulate physiological, biogeochemical, and biophysical processes, using a variety of plant functional types. Now, the representation of the large area covered with managed land (e.g., croplands, grasslands) is still rather basic in these models, which were first designed to simulate natural ecosystems, while more and more land is heavily disturbed by man (crops cover ∼35% and grasslands ∼30%–40% of western Europe's area as a result of massive deforestation mainly in the Middle Ages). In this paper a methodology is presented that combines the use of a dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) known as Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems (ORCHIDEE) and a generic crop model [the Simulateur Multidisciplinaire pour les...