Evaluating Soil Biogeochemistry Parameterizations in Earth System Models with Observations
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PUBLICATIONS Global Biogeochemical Cycles RESEARCH ARTICLE Evaluating soil biogeochemistry parameterizations 10.1002/2013GB004665 in Earth system models with observations Key Points: William R. Wieder1, Jennifer Boehnert1, and Gordon B. Bonan1 • SOC estimates from ESMs show wide variation and are exceptionally low 1National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA in CLM4cn • After modifications DAYCENT para- meterizations provide more realistic SOC pools Abstract Soils contain large reservoirs of terrestrial carbon (C), yet soil C dynamics simulated in Earth • SOC responses to warming suggest systems models show little agreement with each other or with observational data sets. This uncertainty further evaluation of models underscores the need to develop a framework to more thoroughly evaluate model parameterizations, are warranted structures, and projections. Toward this end we used an analytical solution to calculate approximate equilibrium soil C pools for the Community Land Model version 4 (CLM4cn) and Daily Century (DAYCENT) soil Supporting Information: biogeochemistry models. Neither model generated sufficient soil C pools when forced with litterfall inputs • Readme • Text S1 from CLM4cn; however, global totals and spatial correlations of soil C pools for both models improved when • Text S2 calculated with litterfall inputs derived from observational data. DAYCENT required additional modifications • Text S3 to simulate soil C pools in deeper soils (0–100 cm). Our best simulations produced global soil C pools totaling 746 and 978 Pg C for CLM4cn and DAYCENT parameterizations, respectively, compared to observational Correspondence to: W. R. Wieder, estimates of 1259 Pg C. In spite of their differences in complexity and equilibrium soil C pools, predictions of soil [email protected] C losses with warming temperatures through 2100 were strikingly similar for both models. Ultimately, CLM4cn and DAYCENT come from the same class of models that represent the turnover of soil C as a first-order decay Citation: process. While this approach may have utility in calculating steady state soil C pools, the applicability of this Wieder, W. R., J. Boehnert, and G. B. model configuration in transient simulations remains poorly evaluated. Bonan (2014), Evaluating soil biogeo- chemistry parameterizations in Earth system models with observations, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 28, 211–222, 1. Introduction doi:10.1002/2013GB004665. Soils contain the largest terrestrial pool of carbon (C) globally [Jobbágy and Jackson, 2000; Tarnocai et al., Received 28 MAY 2013 2009], yet the response of soil C pools to environmental change remains uncertain. Driven by heterotrophic Accepted 26 JAN 2014 respiration of organic C substrates, turnover of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools is sensitive to changes in Accepted article online 3 FEB 2014 temperature, moisture, and plant productivity [Davidson and Janssens, 2006; Davidson et al., 2012; Falloon Published online 13 MAR 2014 et al., 2011]. The degree to which soils globally may serve as a source or a sink for C in the future remains an open question. This uncertainty around the response of SOC pools to environmental change remains a significant challenge for Earth system models (ESMs) [Jones et al., 2003] that are used to investigate carbon- climate feedback and make climate predictions through the 21st century and beyond. Predictions of SOC response to environmental change depend on accurately simulating extant SOC pools and also simulating the processes governing SOC stabilization and turnover in a highly heterogeneous soil environment. Thus, simulating soil biogeochemical processes at the global scale requires reasonable approximations of climate and productivity, and in some cases additional information on the soil physical and chemical environment. Given this complexity, it is not surprising that ESMs vary widely in their predictions of SOC pools and generally show poor spatial correlation with observations [Todd-Brown et al., 2013]. The Community Land Model version 4 (CLM4cn), the terrestrial component of the Community Earth System Model version 1.0 (CESM), simulates notably small SOC pools globally and has low SOC densities at high latitudes [Thornton et al., 2007; Todd-Brown et al., 2013]; soil carbon from a CLM4cn twentieth century control simulation [Lawrence et al., 2011] totals 502 Pg C globally, providing motivation for the work presented here. Small SOC pools in CLM4cn may result from input biases, such as climate or productivity, or from structural errors in simulations of the processes that regulate C turnover in soils. Global productivity in CLM4cn is high [Beer et al., 2010]; however, regionally dry soils in the arctic result in low productivity, which may account for some of CLM4cn’s low SOC pools [Lawrence et al., 2011]. Unrealistically, small SOC pools in CLM4cn may also result from rapid SOC turnover inherent in its soil biogeochemistry parameterization. Compared to observations from the Long-term Intersite Decomposition Experiment (LIDET) leaf and root litter decomposes too rapidly in CLM4cn simulations [Bonan et al., 2013]. In contrast, litter decomposition in Daily Century (DAYCENT) (and its predecessor CENTURY), a well-tested ecosystem model [Kelly et al., 1997; Parton et al., 1987, 1993, 1994], better WIEDER ET AL. ©2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. 211 Global Biogeochemical Cycles 10.1002/2013GB004665 matched LIDET observations [Bonan et al., 2013]. Since litter decomposition serves as the precursor to SOC formation, this suggests DAYCENT biogeochemistry may more accurately represent soil biogeochemical processes. Despite its widespread use in soil biogeochemical models, the DAYCENT soil biogeochemistry parameterization has not yet been tested at the global scale [see Schimel et al., 1994]. We continue efforts initiated with the LIDET study [Bonan et al., 2013] to evaluate soil biogeochemical models with observations at the global scale, here focusing on equilibrium SOC pools generated by CLM4cn and DAYCENT soil biogeochemical models. We focus our analysis on these two models; however, all of the ESMs used to make global climate projections employ soil biogeochemistry models with analogous structures— simulating the turnover of SOC in n soil C pools via first-order kinetics [Todd-Brown et al., 2013]. Thus, the general approach outlined here is widely applicable to a diversity of models. Using an analytical solution to find equilibrium SOC pools [Xia et al., 2012], we test how well each model replicates global SOC observations and identify input parameters important for global SOC simulations. We additionally evaluate the importance of different model structures when simulating potential effects of soil warming on SOC over the 21st century. 2. Methods Soil biogeochemical models are slow to spin-up to an equilibrium state [Thornton and Rosenbloom, 2005]; yet at their core soil biogeochemistry models are relatively simple—simulating the exponential decay of litterfall inputs and SOC pools with decay rates in n pools modulated by environmental scalars (e.g., soil temperature and moisture). To facilitate model analyses, we used an analytical solution to calculate equilibrium soil C pools for CLM4cn and DAYCENT. Both models were forced with prescribed litterfall input, soil temperature, and soil moisture. Simulations used the CLM grid, approximately 1° horizontal resolution. Model results were compared to soil carbon observations. 2.1. Analytical Solution We used an analytical solution to calculate equilibrium soil C pools modified from Xia et al. [2012, 2013]. The Xia et al. [2012, 2013] framework calculates steady state ecosystem carbon pools (vegetation, coarse woody debris, litter, and soil organic matter) from gross primary production. Our modified approach calculates coarse woody debris, litter, and soil pools from litterfall. Generally, these models are described where the carbon balance for pool i is the sum of the litter input ui to pool i and all the flows to pool i from all n pools minus the carbon turnover: n dx ÀÁ i ¼ u þ ∑ 1 À r f ξ k x À ξ k x (1) dt i ij ij j j j i i i j ¼ 1 j ≠ i Here ki is the base fractional loss for pool i, ξi is an environmental scalar that modifies the turnover rate, and ξikixi is the carbon turnover from pool i. Similarly, ξjkjxj is the turnover from donor pool j, and fij is fraction that transfers from donor pool j to receiver pool i. The fraction 1 À rij is the microbial growth efficiency, or the fraction of the carbon turnover that is assimilated into microbial biomass; the fraction rij of the flow to the receiver pool is lost as respiration. Equation (1) can be written in matrix notation, with dX ¼ BU þ AξKX (2) dt T T where, X =[x1,x2, …,xn] is a n × 1 column vector of n carbon pools; U =[u1,u2, …,um] is a m × 1 column vector of litter fluxes for m types of litter; B is a n × m litter flux partitioning matrix in which bij is the partitioning of litter flux j to pool i; A is an n × n carbon transfer matrix in which ajj = À 1 for pool j and aij =(1À rij)fij is the fraction of carbon loss from pool j entering pool i (for j ≠ i); ξ is a n × n diagonal matrix in which ξjj is the environmental scalar for pool j and all other elements are zero (ξij = 0 for j ≠ i); and K is a n × n diagonal matrix in which kjj is the base fractional loss for pool j and all other elements are zero (kij = 0 for j ≠ i). At steady state, dX/dt = 0 and the steady state equilibrium pools (Xss) are À1 Xss ¼ðÞAξK BU (3) WIEDER ET AL. ©2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. 212 Global Biogeochemical Cycles 10.1002/2013GB004665 The coefficients in equation (3) can vary over time with environmental conditions. However, time-mean values B, A, and ξ approximate the steady state solution for a given U [Xia et al., 2012]. 2.2. Model Descriptions Soil biogeochemistry in CLM4cn represents organic matter decomposition as a converging cascade that uses three litter pools, four soil organic matter pools, and one course woody debris (CWD) pool [Bonan et al., 2013; Thornton and Rosenbloom, 2005].