Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-978
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-978
07 May 2024
 | 07 May 2024

Systematic underestimation of type-specific ecosystem process variability in the Community Land Model v5 over Europe

Christian Poppe Terán, Bibi S. Naz, Harry Vereecken, Roland Baatz, Rosie Fisher, and Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen

Abstract. Evapotranspiration (ET) and gross primary production (GPP) are critical fluxes contributing to the energy, water, and carbon exchanges between the atmosphere and the land surface. Land surface models such as the Community Land Model v5 (CLM5) quantify these fluxes, contribute to a better understanding of climate change's impact on ecosystems, and estimate the state of carbon budgets and water resources. Past studies have shown the ability of CLM5 to model ET and GPP magnitudes well but emphasized systematic underestimations and lower variability than in the observations.

Here, we evaluate the simulated ET and GPP from CLM5 at the grid scale (CLM5grid) and the plant functional type (PFT) scale (CLM5PFT) with observations from eddy covariance stations from the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) over Europe. For most PFTs, CLM5grid and CLM5PFT compared better to ICOS than publicly available reanalysis data and estimates obtained from remote sensing. CLM5PFT exhibited a low systematic error in simulating the ET of the ICOS measurements (average bias of -5.05 %), implying that the PFT-specific ET matches the magnitude of the observations closely. However, CLM5PFT severely underestimates GPP, especially in deciduous forests (bias of -43.76 %). Furthermore, the simulated ET and GPP distribution moments across PFTs in CLM5grid and CLM5PFT, reanalyses, and remote sensing data indicate an underestimated spatiotemporal variability compared to the observations across Europe. These results are essential insights for further evaluations in CLM5 by pointing to the limitations of CLM5 in simulating the spatiotemporal variability of ET and GPP across PFTs.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
Christian Poppe Terán, Bibi S. Naz, Harry Vereecken, Roland Baatz, Rosie Fisher, and Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen

Status: final response (author comments only)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-978', Anonymous Referee #1, 13 Jun 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-978', Anonymous Referee #2, 01 Jul 2024
  • AC1: 'Author response to referee comments on egusphere-2024-978', Christian Poppe Teran, 30 Jul 2024
Christian Poppe Terán, Bibi S. Naz, Harry Vereecken, Roland Baatz, Rosie Fisher, and Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen
Christian Poppe Terán, Bibi S. Naz, Harry Vereecken, Roland Baatz, Rosie Fisher, and Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen

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Short summary
Carbon and water exchanges between the atmosphere and the land surface contribute to water resource availability and climate change mitigation. Land Surface Models, like the Community Land Model version 5 (CLM5), simulate these. This study finds that CLM5 and other data sets underestimate the magnitudes and variability of carbon and water exchanges for the most abundant plant functional types compared to observations. It provides essential insights for further research on these processes.