Implementation and evaluation of the unified stomatal optimization approach in the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES)

<p>Stomata play a central role in regulating the exchange of carbon dioxide and water vapor between ecosystems and the atmosphere. Their function is represented in land surface models (LSMs) by conductance models. The Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES) is a dynamic...

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Main Authors: Q. Li, S. P. Serbin, J. Lamour, K. J. Davidson, K. S. Ely, A. Rogers
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2022-06-01
Series:Geoscientific Model Development
Online Access:https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/15/4313/2022/gmd-15-4313-2022.pdf
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author Q. Li
S. P. Serbin
J. Lamour
K. J. Davidson
K. J. Davidson
K. S. Ely
A. Rogers
author_facet Q. Li
S. P. Serbin
J. Lamour
K. J. Davidson
K. J. Davidson
K. S. Ely
A. Rogers
author_sort Q. Li
collection DOAJ
description <p>Stomata play a central role in regulating the exchange of carbon dioxide and water vapor between ecosystems and the atmosphere. Their function is represented in land surface models (LSMs) by conductance models. The Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES) is a dynamic vegetation demography model that can simulate both detailed plant demographic and physiological dynamics. To evaluate the effect of stomatal conductance model formulation on forest water and carbon fluxes in FATES, we implemented an optimality-based stomatal conductance model – the Medlyn (MED) model – that simulates the relationship between photosynthesis (<span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i></span>) and stomatal conductance to water vapor (<span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>sw</sub></span>) as an alternative to the FATES default Ball–Woodrow–Berry (BWB) model. To evaluate how the behavior of FATES is affected by stomatal model choice, we conducted a model sensitivity analysis to explore the response of <span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>sw</sub></span> to climate forcing, including atmospheric CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> concentration, air temperature, radiation, and vapor pressure deficit in the air (VPD<span class="inline-formula"><sub>a</sub></span>). We found that modeled <span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>sw</sub></span> values varied greatly between the BWB and MED formulations due to the different default stomatal slope parameters (<span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>1</sub></span>). After harmonizing <span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>1</sub></span> and holding the stomatal intercept parameter (<span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>0</sub></span>) constant for both model formulations, we found that the divergence in modeled <span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>sw</sub></span> was limited to conditions when the VPD<span class="inline-formula"><sub>a</sub></span> exceeded 1.5 kPa. We then evaluated model simulation results against measurements from a wet evergreen forest in Panama. Results showed that both the MED and BWB model formulations were able to capture the magnitude and diurnal changes of measured <span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>sw</sub></span> and <span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i></span> but underestimated both by about 30 % when the soil was predicted to be very dry. Comparison of modeled soil water content from FATES to a reanalysis product showed that FATES captured soil drying well, but translation of drying soil to modeled physiology reduced the models' ability to match observations. Our study suggests that the parameterization of stomatal conductance models and current model response to drought are the critical areas for improving model simulation of CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> and water fluxes in tropical forests.</p>
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spelling doaj.art-1d8f46b6e10c4691a59859235bb37a902022-12-22T00:56:55ZengCopernicus PublicationsGeoscientific Model Development1991-959X1991-96032022-06-01154313432910.5194/gmd-15-4313-2022Implementation and evaluation of the unified stomatal optimization approach in the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES)Q. Li0S. P. Serbin1J. Lamour2K. J. Davidson3K. J. Davidson4K. S. Ely5A. Rogers6Department of Environmental and Climate Sciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USADepartment of Environmental and Climate Sciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USADepartment of Environmental and Climate Sciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USADepartment of Environmental and Climate Sciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USADepartment of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USADepartment of Environmental and Climate Sciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USADepartment of Environmental and Climate Sciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA<p>Stomata play a central role in regulating the exchange of carbon dioxide and water vapor between ecosystems and the atmosphere. Their function is represented in land surface models (LSMs) by conductance models. The Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES) is a dynamic vegetation demography model that can simulate both detailed plant demographic and physiological dynamics. To evaluate the effect of stomatal conductance model formulation on forest water and carbon fluxes in FATES, we implemented an optimality-based stomatal conductance model – the Medlyn (MED) model – that simulates the relationship between photosynthesis (<span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i></span>) and stomatal conductance to water vapor (<span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>sw</sub></span>) as an alternative to the FATES default Ball–Woodrow–Berry (BWB) model. To evaluate how the behavior of FATES is affected by stomatal model choice, we conducted a model sensitivity analysis to explore the response of <span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>sw</sub></span> to climate forcing, including atmospheric CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> concentration, air temperature, radiation, and vapor pressure deficit in the air (VPD<span class="inline-formula"><sub>a</sub></span>). We found that modeled <span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>sw</sub></span> values varied greatly between the BWB and MED formulations due to the different default stomatal slope parameters (<span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>1</sub></span>). After harmonizing <span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>1</sub></span> and holding the stomatal intercept parameter (<span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>0</sub></span>) constant for both model formulations, we found that the divergence in modeled <span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>sw</sub></span> was limited to conditions when the VPD<span class="inline-formula"><sub>a</sub></span> exceeded 1.5 kPa. We then evaluated model simulation results against measurements from a wet evergreen forest in Panama. Results showed that both the MED and BWB model formulations were able to capture the magnitude and diurnal changes of measured <span class="inline-formula"><i>g</i><sub>sw</sub></span> and <span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i></span> but underestimated both by about 30 % when the soil was predicted to be very dry. Comparison of modeled soil water content from FATES to a reanalysis product showed that FATES captured soil drying well, but translation of drying soil to modeled physiology reduced the models' ability to match observations. Our study suggests that the parameterization of stomatal conductance models and current model response to drought are the critical areas for improving model simulation of CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> and water fluxes in tropical forests.</p>https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/15/4313/2022/gmd-15-4313-2022.pdf
spellingShingle Q. Li
S. P. Serbin
J. Lamour
K. J. Davidson
K. J. Davidson
K. S. Ely
A. Rogers
Implementation and evaluation of the unified stomatal optimization approach in the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES)
Geoscientific Model Development
title Implementation and evaluation of the unified stomatal optimization approach in the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES)
title_full Implementation and evaluation of the unified stomatal optimization approach in the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES)
title_fullStr Implementation and evaluation of the unified stomatal optimization approach in the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES)
title_full_unstemmed Implementation and evaluation of the unified stomatal optimization approach in the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES)
title_short Implementation and evaluation of the unified stomatal optimization approach in the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES)
title_sort implementation and evaluation of the unified stomatal optimization approach in the functionally assembled terrestrial ecosystem simulator fates
url https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/15/4313/2022/gmd-15-4313-2022.pdf
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