Modelling of Seasonal Evapotranspiration from an Agricultural Field Using the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS) with a Pedotransfer Rule and Multicriteria Optimization

The performance of the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS 3.5) was assessed using turbulent fluxes derived from data recorded at two micrometeorological stations located in a potato field in Quebec, Canada. The minimum stomatal resistance, the maximum leaf area index, and the initial water content of the third soil layer were optimized using the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II and the mean square error of the latent heat flux. With respect to benchmark solutions, the optimization improved the sensible and latent heat fluxes by 31 and 23%, respectively. The use of a pedotransfer rule in adjustment of the water content of mineral soils having small percentages of organic matter provided better estimates of the evapotranspiration during the growing stage. However, like the original version of the model (without the pedotransfer rule), it underestimated evapotranspiration throughout the maturity stage. It is noteworthy that the original version produced a good estimate of cumulative evapotranspiration over the entire season as a result of over- and underestimates at the beginning and maturity stage of the growing season, respectively.     

On improving cold region hydrological processes in the Canadian Land Surface Scheme

Regional and global climate model simulated streamflows for high-latitude regions show systematic biases, particularly in the timing and magnitude of spring peak flows. Though these biases could be related to the snow water equivalent and spring temperature biases in models, a good part of these biases is due to the unaccounted effects of non-uniform infiltration capacity of the frozen ground and other related processes. In this paper, the treatment of frozen water in the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS), which is used in the Canadian regional and global climate models, is modified to include fractional permeable area, supercooled liquid water and a new formulation for hydraulic conductivity. The impact of these modifications on the regional hydrology, particularly streamflow, is assessed by comparing three simulations performed with the original and two modified versions of CLASS, driven by atmospheric forcing data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) reanalysis (ERA-Interim) for the 1990–2001 period over a northeast Canadian domain. The two modified versions of CLASS differ in the soil hydraulic conductivity and matric potential formulations, with one version being based on formulations from a previous study and the other one is newly proposed. Results suggest statistically significant decreases in infiltration and therefore soil moisture during the snowmelt season for the simulation with the new hydraulic conductivity and matric potential formulations and fractional permeable area concept compared to the original version of CLASS, which is also reflected in the increased spring surface runoff and streamflows in this simulation with modified CLASS over most of the study domain. The simulated spring peaks and their timing in this simulation are also in better agreement to those observed. This study thus demonstrates the importance of treatment of frozen water for realistic simulation of streamflows.     

中巴地球资源卫星数据反演地表温度产品设计

利用CBERS IRMSS/IRS传感器红外通道数据,基于MODTRAN4和查找表算法,根据地表数字高程和全球/区域一体化数值预报模式,建立相应高度和气象条件下温度反演配套系数,利用CBERS可见/近红外通道和地表比辐射率数据库最终生成地表温度/地表发射率产品.最后介绍了温度产品的验证工作,并对温度反演中存在的参数敏感性和不确定性问题进行了分析.     

中巴地球资源卫星数据反演地表温度产品设计

利用CBERS IRMSS/IRS传感器红外通道数据,基于MODTRAN4和查找表算法,根据地表数字高程和全球/区域一体化数值预报模式,建立相应高度和气象条件下温度反演配套系数,利用CBERS可见/近红外通道和地表比辐射率数据库最终生成地表温度/地表发射率产品。最后介绍了温度产品的验证工作,并对温度反演中存在的参数敏感性和不确定性问题进行了分析。     

Simulating the Carbon Cycling of Northern Peatlands Using a Land Surface Scheme Coupled to a Wetland Carbon Model (CLASS3W-MWM)

Northern peatlands store approximately one-third of the terrestrial soil carbon (C), although they cover only 3% of the global land mass. Northern peatlands can be subdivided into bogs and fens based on their hydrology and biogeochemistry. Peatland hydrology and biogeochemistry are tightly coupled to climate and, therefore, may be very sensitive to climate variability and change. To address the fate of the large peatland soil C storage under a future changed climate, a peatland C model, the McGill Wetland Model (MWM), was coupled to a land surface climate model (the wetland version of the Canadian Land Surface Scheme, CLASS3W), referred as CLASS3W-MWM. We evaluated the CLASS3W-MWM for a bog (Mer Bleue, located at 45.41°N, 75.48°W, in eastern Canada) and a poor fen (Degerö Stormyr, located at 64°11′N, 19°33′E, in northern Sweden).

CLASS3W-MWM captured the magnitude and direction of the present day C cycling very well for both bogs and fens. Moreover, the seasonal and interannual variability were reproduced reasonably well. Root mean square errors (RMSE) were <0.65 and the degree of agreements (d*) were >0.8 for the components of net ecosystem production (NEP) for both the Mer Bleue bog and the Degerö Stormyr fen. The performance of the coupled model for both bog and fen is similar to that of the stand-alone MWM driven by observed weather rather than simulated surface and soil climate. This modelling study suggests that northern peatlands are hydrologically and thermally conservative ecosystems. It was also shown that C cycling for bogs and fens was more sensitive to changes in air temperature than precipitation. Changes in temperature within the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projected range switch the peatlands from a present-day C sink to a source, but projected changes in precipitation still maintain the peatlands as a C sink, although to a somewhat lesser degree. Increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration enhances C sequestration for both bogs and fens. Our sensitivity analysis suggests that northern peatlands respond to changes in temperature, precipitation and doubled CO₂ concentration in a highly non-linear way. The sensitivity of C cycling in northern peatlands with respect to changes in air temperature, precipitation and the concentration of atmospheric CO₂ together is not a simple addition or subtraction of the sensitivity of the individual changes. Therefore, the sensitivity of a combination of changes in temperature, precipitation and doubled CO₂ concentration is very different from the sensitivity of peatlands to each environmental variable on their own. Our sensitivity analysis suggests that fens have a narrower tolerance to climate changes than bogs.

RÉSUMÉ [Traduit par la rédaction] Les tourbières du Nord renferment approximativement le tiers du carbone se trouvant dans le sol terrestre, même si elles ne couvrent que 3% des terres du globe. On peut subdiviser les tourbières du Nord en tourbières hautes et en tourbières basses selon leur hydrologie et leur biogéochimie. L'hydrologie et la biogéochimie des tourbières sont intimement liées au climat et peuvent donc être très sensibles à la variabilité et au changement climatique. Pour étudier comment évoluera le stockage du carbone dans les grands terrains tourbeux sous un climat futur modifié, nous avons couplé un modèle de carbone de tourbière, le McGill Wetland Model (MWM), à un modèle climatique de surface terrestre (la version terres humides du CLASS3W canadien), c'est-à-dire le CLASS3W–MWM. Nous avons évalué le CLASS3W–MWM pour une tourbière haute (Mer Bleue, situé à 45,41°N, 75,48°O, dans l'est du Canada) et pour une tourbière basse ombrotrophe (Degerö Stormyr, situé à 64°11′N, 19°33′E, dans le nord de la Suède).

Le CLASS3W–MWM a très bien capturé la grandeur et la direction du recyclage actuel du carbone, tant pour les tourbières hautes que pour les tourbières basses. De plus, la variabilité saisonnière et interannuelle a été raisonnablement bien reproduire. Les écarts-types étaient <0,65 et les degrés de concordance (d*) étaient >0,8 pour les composantes de la production nette de l’écosystème tant pour la tourbière haute Mer Bleue que pour la tourbière basse Degerö Stormyr. La performance du modèle couplé pour la tourbière haute et la tourbière basse est semblable à celle du MWM autonome piloté par des conditions observées plutôt que par un climat simulé de la surface et du sol. Cette étude par modèle suggère que les tourbières du Nord sont des écosystèmes hydrologiquement et thermiquement conservatifs. Il a aussi été démontré que le recyclage du carbone pour les tourbières hautes et basses était plus sensible aux changements dans la température de l'air que dans les précipitations. Des changements de température de l'ordre de ceux projetés par le Groupe d'experts intergouvernemental sur l’évolution du climat (GIEC) font que les actuels puits de carbone que constituent les tourbières se transforment en sources, mais les changements projetés dans les précipitations maintiennent encore les tourbières comme des puits de carbone, quoique dans une moindre mesure. L'accroissement de la concentration du CO₂ atmosphérique améliore la séquestration du carbone à la fois pour les tourbières hautes et les tourbières basses. Notre analyse de sensibilité suggère que les tourbières du Nord réagissent aux changements dans la température et les précipitations et à une concentration doublée de CO₂ d'une façon fort peu linéaire. La sensibilité du recyclage du carbone dans les tourbières du Nord par rapport aux changements dans la température de l'air, les précipitations et la concentration du CO₂ atmosphérique ensemble n'est pas une simple addition ou soustraction de la sensibilité aux changements individuels. Par conséquent, la sensibilité à une combinaison de changements dans la température et les précipitations et à une concentration doublée de CO₂ est très différente de la sensibilité des tourbières à chaque variable environnementale prise seule. Notre analyse de sensibilité suggère que les tourbières basses ont une plus faible tolérance aux changements climatiques que les tourbières hautes.     

Climate Change and Forest Fire Potential in Russian and Canadian Boreal Forests

In this study outputs from four current General Circulation Models (GCMs) were used to project forest fire danger levels in Canada and Russia under a warmer climate. Temperature and precipitation anomalies between 1 × CO₂ and 2 × CO₂ runs were combined with baseline observed weather data for both countries for the 1980–1989 period. Forecast seasonal fire weather severity was similar for the four GCMs, indicating large increases in the areal extent of extreme fire danger in both countries under a 2 × CO₂ climate scenario. A monthly analysis, using the Canadian GCM, showed an earlier start to the fire season, and significant increases in the area experiencing high to extreme fire danger in both Canada and Russia, particularly during June and July. Climate change as forecast has serious implications for forest fire management in both countries. More severe fire weather, coupled with continued economic constraints and downsizing, mean more fire activity in the future is a virtual certainty. The likely response will be a restructuring of protection priorities to support more intensive protection of smaller, high-value areas, and a return to natural fire regimes over larger areas of both Canada and Russia, with resultant significant impacts on the carbon budget.     

Relating Radar Remote Sensing of Biomass to Modelling of Forest Carbon Budgets

This paper addresses the use of radar remote sensing to map forest above-ground biomass, and discusses the use of biomass maps to test a dynamic vegetation model that identifies carbon sources and sinks and predicts their variation over time. For current radar satellite data, only the biomass of young/sparse forests or regrowth after disturbances can be recovered. An example from central Siberia illustrates that biomass can be measured by radar at a continental scale, and that a significant proportion of the Siberian forests have biomass values less than 50 tonnes/ha. Comparison between the radar map and calculations by the Sheffield Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (SDGVM) indicates that the model considerably overestimates biomass; under-representation of managed areas, disturbed areas and areas of low site quality in the model are suggested reasons for this effect. A case study carried out at the Büdingen plantation forest in Germany supports the argument that inadequate representations of site quality and forest management may cause model overestimates of biomass. Comparison of the calculated biomass of stands planted after 1990 with biomass estimates by radar allows identification of forest stands where the growth conditions assumed by the model are not valid. This allows a quality check on model calculations of carbon fluxes: only calculations for stands where there is good agreement between the data and the model predictions should be accepted. Although the paper only uses the SDGVM model, similar effects are likely in other dynamic vegetation models, and the results show that model calculations attempting to quantify the role of forests as carbon sources or sinks could be qualified and potentially improved by exploiting remotely sensed measurements of biomass.     

Relating Radar Remote Sensing of Biomass to Modelling of Forest Carbon Budgets

This paper addresses the use of radar remote sensing to map forest above-ground biomass, and discusses the use of biomass maps to test a dynamic vegetation model that identifies carbon sources and sinks and predicts their variation over time. For current radar satellite data, only the biomass of young/sparse forests or regrowth after disturbances can be recovered. An example from central Siberia illustrates that biomass can be measured by radar at a continental scale, and that a significant proportion of the Siberian forests have biomass values less than 50 tonnes/ha. Comparison between the radar map and calculations by the Sheffield Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (SDGVM) indicates that the model considerably overestimates biomass; under-representation of managed areas, disturbed areas and areas of low site quality in the model are suggested reasons for this effect. A case study carried out at the Büdingen plantation forest in Germany supports the argument that inadequate representations of site quality and forest management may cause model overestimates of biomass. Comparison of the calculated biomass of stands planted after 1990 with biomass estimates by radar allows identification of forest stands where the growth conditions assumed by the model are not valid. This allows a quality check on model calculations of carbon fluxes: only calculations for stands where there is good agreement between the data and the model predictions should be accepted. Although the paper only uses the SDGVM model, similar effects are likely in other dynamic vegetation models, and the results show that model calculations attempting to quantify the role of forests as carbon sources or sinks could be qualified and potentially improved by exploiting remotely sensed measurements of biomass.     

Stocks, Chemistry, and Sensitivity to Climate Change of Dead Organic Matter Along the Canadian Boreal Forest Transect Case Study

Improving our ability to predict the impact of climate change on the carbon (C) balance of boreal forests requires increased understanding of site-specific factors controlling detrital and soil C accumulation. Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) and black spruce (Picea mariana) stands along the Boreal Forest Transect Case Study (BFTCS) in northern Canada have similar C stocks in aboveground vegetation and large woody detritus, but thick forest floors of poorly-drained black spruce stands have much higher C stocks, comparable to living biomass. Their properties indicate hindered decomposition and N cycling, with high C/N ratios, strongly stratified and depleted δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values, high concentrations of tannins and phenolics, and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra typical of poorly decomposed plant material, especially roots and mosses. The thinner jack pine forest floor appears to be dominated by lichen, with char in some samples. Differences in quantity and quality of aboveground foliar and woody litter inputs are small and unlikely to account for the contrasts in forest floor accumulation and properties. These are more likely associated with site conditions, especially soil texture and drainage, exacerbated by increases in sphagnum coverage, forest floor depth, and tannins. Small changes in environmental conditions, especially reduced moisture, could trigger large C losses through rapid decomposition of forest floor in poorly drained black spruce stands in this region.     

基于MODIS地表覆盖(LC)的森林火灾识别方法

通过分析MODIS多光谱地表覆盖产品,证明MODIS本身具有精确识别包括5种森林在内的IGBP 17种地表类型的能力,完全可以满足识别森林火灾的实际需要.在此基础上提出基于MODIS地表覆盖的森林火点识别方法,探讨使用MODIS地表覆盖数据识别森林火灾的数据处理操作过程.应用该森林火点识别方法,MODIS实时广播接收站可以建立一套由MODIS火点侦测模块和MODIS森林火点识别模块构成的完全基于自身数据的森林火灾监测系统.5种森林地表整体平均识别误差为3.5%,可以满足卫星遥感森林火灾监测系统要求.     

Improving Simulation of the Terrestrial Carbon Cycle of China in Version 4.5 of the Community Land Model Using a Revised Vcmax Scheme

The maximum rate of carboxylation(Vcmax) is a key photosynthetic parameter for gross primary production(GPP) estimation in terrestrial biosphere models. A set of observation-based Vcmax values, which take the nitrogen limitation on photosynthetic rates into consideration, are used in version 4.5 of the Community Land Model(CLM4.5). However, CLM4.5 with carbon-nitrogen(CN) biogeochemistry(CLM4.5-CN) still uses an independent decay coefficient for nitrogen after the photosynthesis calculation. This means that the nitrogen limitation on the carbon cycle is accounted for twice when CN biogeochemistry is active. Therefore, to avoid this double nitrogen down-regulation in CLM4.5-CN, the original Vcmax scheme is revised with a new one that only accounts for the transition between Vcmax and its potential value(without nitrogen limitation). Compared to flux towerbased observations, the new Vcmax scheme reduces the root-mean-square error(RMSE) in GPP for mainland China by 13.7 g C m-2 yr-1, with a larger decrease over humid areas(39.2 g C m-2 yr-1). Moreover, net primary production and leaf area index are also improved, with reductions in RMSE by 0.8% and 11.5%, respectively.     

An Improvement of the Louis Scheme for the Surface Layer in an Atmospheric Modelling System

The Louis scheme for calculating the vertical eddy fluxes within the atmospheric surface layer is improved by broadening the original assumptions. In our approach, the momentum and heat transfer roughness lengths (z₀ and z_T respectively) can be different, and z₀ need not be negligibly small compared with the lowest height (z) in modelling. For these conditions, we choose more consistent wind and potential temperature profile forms, then derive new algorithms for calculating fluxes. Improvement is demonstrated for a wide range of z/L (L is the Obukhov length), z/z₀ and z₀ z_T, by comparing these fluxes with those derived from a theoretical surface-layer model. The improved algorithms can be used in atmospheric modelling systems for more varied surfaces and a wide range of atmospheric stability.     

‘The Influence of Land Use Change On Global-Scale Fluxes of Carbon from Terrestrial Ecosystems’

A process-based approach to modelling the effects of land use change and climate change on the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems was applied at global scale. Simulations were run both with and without land use change. In the absence of land use change between 1700 and 1990, carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems was predicted to increase by 145 Pg C. When land use change was represented during this period, terrestrial ecosystems became a net source of 97 Pg C. Land use change was directly responsible for a flux of 222 Pg C, slightly higher but close to estimates from other studies. The model was then run between 1990 and 2100 with a climate simulated by a GCM. Simulations were run with three land use change scenarios: 1. no land use change; 2. land use change specified by the SRES B2 scenario, and; 3. land use change scaled with population change in the B2 scenario. In the first two simulations with no or limited land use change, the net terrestrial carbon sink was substantial (358 and 257 Pg C, respectively). However, with the population-based land-use change scenario, the losses of carbon through land use change were close to the carbon gains through enhanced net ecosystem productivity, resulting in a net sink near zero. Future changes in land use are highly uncertain, but will have a large impact on the future terrestrial carbon balance. This study attempts to provide some bounds on how land use change may affect the carbon sink over the nextcentury.     

Four-stream Radiative Transfer Parameterization Scheme in a Land Surface Process Model

Accurate estimates of albedos are required in climate modeling. Accurate and simple schemes for radiative transfer within canopy are required for these estimates, but severe limitations exist. This paper developed a four-stream solar radiative transfer model and coupled it with a land surface process model. The radiative model uses a four-stream approximation method as in the atmosphere to obtain analytic solutions of the basic equation of canopy radiative transfer. As an analytical model, the four-stream radiative transfer model can be easily applied efficiently to improve the parameterization of land surface radiation in climate models. Our four-stream solar radiative transfer model is based on a two-stream short wave radiative transfer model. It can simulate short wave solar radiative transfer within canopy according to the relevant theory in the atmosphere. Each parameter of the basic radiative transfer equation of canopy has special geometry and optical characters of leaves or canopy. The upward or downward radiative fluxes are related to the diffuse phase function, the G-function, leaf reflectivity and transmission, leaf area index, and the solar angle of the incident beam. The four-stream simulation is compared with that of the two-stream model. The four-stream model is proved successful through its consistent modeling of canopy albedo at any solar incident angle. In order to compare and find differences between the results predicted by the four- and two-stream models, a number of numerical experiments are performed through examining the effects of different leaf area indices, leaf angle distributions, optical properties of leaves, and ground surface conditions on the canopy albedo. Parallel experiments show that the canopy albedos predicted by the two models differ significantly when the leaf angle distribution is spherical and vertical. The results also show that the difference is particularly great for different incident solar beams. One additional experiment is carried out to evaluate the simulations of the BATS land surface model coupled with the two- and four-stream radiative transfer models. Station observations in 1998 are used for comparison. The results indicate that the simulation of BATS coupled with the four-stream model is the best because the surface absorbed solar radiation from the four-stream model is the closest to the observation.     

Using Remote Sensing to Assess Russian Forest Fire Carbon Emissions

Russian boreal forests are subject to frequent wildfires. The resulting combustion of large amounts of biomass not only transforms forest vegetation, but it also creates significant carbon emissions that total, according to some authors, from 35–94 Mt C per year. These carbon emissions from forest fires should be considered an important part of the forest ecosystem carbon balance and a significant influence on atmospheric trace gases. In this paper we discuss a new method to assess forest fire damage. This method is based on using multi-spectral high-resolution satellite images, large-scale aerial photography, and declassified images obtained from the space-borne national security systems. A normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) difference image was produced from pre- and post-fire satellite images from SPOT/HRVIR and RESURS-O/MSU-E images. A close relationship was found between values of the NDVI difference image and forest damage level. High-resolution satellite data and large-scale aerial-photos were used to calibrate the NDVI-derived forest damage map. The method was used for mapping of forest fire extent and damage and for estimating carbon emissions from burned forest areas.     

Numerical Simulation Experiment of Land Surface Physical Processes and Local Climate Effect in Forest Underlying Surface

Based on the basic principles of atmospheric boundary layer and plant canopy micrometeorology, a forest underlying surface land surface physical process model and a two-dimensional atmospheric boundary layer numerical model are developed and numerical simulation experiments of biosphere and physiological processes of vegetation and soil volumetric water content have been done on land surface processes with local climate effect. The numerical simulation results are in good agreement with realistic observations, which can be used to obtain reasonable simulations for diurnal variations of canopy temperature, air temperature in canopy, ground surface temperature, and temporal and spatial distributions of potential temperature and vertical wind velocity as well as relative humidity and turbulence exchange coefficient over non-homogeneous underlying surfaces. It indicates that the model developed can be used to study the interaction between land surface process and atmospheric boundary layer over various underlying surfaces and can be extended to local climate studies. This work will settle a solid foundation for coupling climate models with the biosphere.     

一种陆面过程模式对径流的模拟研究

径流在陆面模式水量平衡计算中占有重要地位,它不但与土壤水的动态变化有关,而且会影响感热、潜热等其他通量的计算结果.作者针对陆面过程模式AVIM(Atmosphere VegetationInteraction Model)对产流描述的不足,改进模式中对径流的参数化方法.并将改进后的模式用于内蒙古的锡林河流域,以检验模式对径流的模拟能力.1991～1994年的径流模拟结果表明,改进后的模式对径流的模拟有较好的改善.     

Modeling the Impact of Black Spruce on the Fire Regime of Alaskan Boreal Forest

In the boreal biome, fire is the major disturbance agent affecting ecosystem change, and fire dynamics will likely change in response to climatic warming. We modified a spatially explicit model of Alaskan subarctic treeline dynamics (ALFRESCO) to simulate boreal vegetation dynamics in interior Alaska. The model is used to investigate the role of black spruce ecosystems in the fire regime of interior Alaska boreal forest. Model simulations revealed that vegetation shifts caused substantial changes to the fire regime. The number of fires and the total area burned increased as black spruce forest became an increasingly dominant component of the landscape. The most significant impact of adding black spruce to the model was an increase in the frequency and magnitude of large-scale burning events (i.e., time steps in which total area burned far exceeded the normal distribution of area burned). Early successional deciduous forest vegetation burned more frequently when black spruce was added to the model, considerably decreasing the fire return interval of deciduous vegetation. Ecosystem flammability accounted for the majority of the differences in the distribution of the average area burned. These simulated vegetation effects and fire regime dynamics have important implications for global models of vegetation dynamics and potential biotic feedbacks to regional climate.     

非均匀地表通量的一种双参量统计-动力参数化方案

本文提出了一种非均匀地表通量的双参量统计-动力参数化方案,并根据该方案,以遥感资料反演的地表温度和土壤湿度为参量,对长江三角洲地区的日区域平均蒸发散通量进行了数值试验。