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Implementing a process-based representation of soil water movement in a second-generation dynamic vegetation model : application to dryland ecosystems (LPJ-GUESS-RE v1.0)

Verbruggen, Wim ; Wårlind, David LU orcid ; Horion, Stéphanie ; Meunier, Félicien ; Verbeeck, Hans ; Wieckowski, Aleksander LU orcid ; Tagesson, Torbern LU and Schurgers, Guy LU (2025) In Geoscientific Model Development 18(19). p.6623-6645
Abstract

Dryland ecosystems are globally important, yet state-of-the-art dynamic vegetation models often lack specific processes or parameterizations that are critical for accurately simulating dryland dynamics. These missing processes include a realistic calculation of soil water movement, detailed plant–water relations, or a representation of deep water uptake. In this study, we show how including a process-based soil hydrology scheme in the LPJ-GUESS (Lund-Potsdam-Jena General Ecosystem Simulator) model can improve its usefulness for simulating the functioning of dryland ecosystems. By replacing the default 15-layer bucket representation of soil hydrology in LPJ-GUESS v4.1 with a mechanistic description of soil water movement based on the 1D... (More)

Dryland ecosystems are globally important, yet state-of-the-art dynamic vegetation models often lack specific processes or parameterizations that are critical for accurately simulating dryland dynamics. These missing processes include a realistic calculation of soil water movement, detailed plant–water relations, or a representation of deep water uptake. In this study, we show how including a process-based soil hydrology scheme in the LPJ-GUESS (Lund-Potsdam-Jena General Ecosystem Simulator) model can improve its usefulness for simulating the functioning of dryland ecosystems. By replacing the default 15-layer bucket representation of soil hydrology in LPJ-GUESS v4.1 with a mechanistic description of soil water movement based on the 1D Richards equation, we show that the model is better able to capture seasonal patterns of water cycling through dryland ecosystems at both the site and regional levels. In addition, the inclusion of a new set of bottom boundary conditions, such as a permanent groundwater layer, further expands the range of ecosystems the LPJ-GUESS model can simulate. We show that soil bottom boundary conditions, in particular varying levels of groundwater depth, can have a large influence on vegetation composition and water cycling. Our new model developments open new avenues to simulate dryland ecohydrology more realistically.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Geoscientific Model Development
volume
18
issue
19
pages
23 pages
publisher
Copernicus GmbH
external identifiers
  • scopus:105017831044
ISSN
1991-959X
DOI
10.5194/gmd-18-6623-2025
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
09b560ca-a9c5-44c7-a8b8-064944ab13bb
date added to LUP
2025-11-26 12:41:40
date last changed
2025-11-26 12:42:23
@article{09b560ca-a9c5-44c7-a8b8-064944ab13bb,
  abstract     = {{<p>Dryland ecosystems are globally important, yet state-of-the-art dynamic vegetation models often lack specific processes or parameterizations that are critical for accurately simulating dryland dynamics. These missing processes include a realistic calculation of soil water movement, detailed plant–water relations, or a representation of deep water uptake. In this study, we show how including a process-based soil hydrology scheme in the LPJ-GUESS (Lund-Potsdam-Jena General Ecosystem Simulator) model can improve its usefulness for simulating the functioning of dryland ecosystems. By replacing the default 15-layer bucket representation of soil hydrology in LPJ-GUESS v4.1 with a mechanistic description of soil water movement based on the 1D Richards equation, we show that the model is better able to capture seasonal patterns of water cycling through dryland ecosystems at both the site and regional levels. In addition, the inclusion of a new set of bottom boundary conditions, such as a permanent groundwater layer, further expands the range of ecosystems the LPJ-GUESS model can simulate. We show that soil bottom boundary conditions, in particular varying levels of groundwater depth, can have a large influence on vegetation composition and water cycling. Our new model developments open new avenues to simulate dryland ecohydrology more realistically.</p>}},
  author       = {{Verbruggen, Wim and Wårlind, David and Horion, Stéphanie and Meunier, Félicien and Verbeeck, Hans and Wieckowski, Aleksander and Tagesson, Torbern and Schurgers, Guy}},
  issn         = {{1991-959X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{19}},
  pages        = {{6623--6645}},
  publisher    = {{Copernicus GmbH}},
  series       = {{Geoscientific Model Development}},
  title        = {{Implementing a process-based representation of soil water movement in a second-generation dynamic vegetation model : application to dryland ecosystems (LPJ-GUESS-RE v1.0)}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6623-2025}},
  doi          = {{10.5194/gmd-18-6623-2025}},
  volume       = {{18}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}