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The interannual variability of Africa's ecosystem productivity: a multi-model analysis

Weber, U. ; Jung, M. ; Reichstein, M. ; Beer, C. ; Braakhekke, M. C. ; Lehsten, Veiko LU ; Ghent, D. ; Kaduk, J. ; Viovy, N. and Ciais, P. , et al. (2009) In Biogeosciences 6(2). p.285-295
Abstract
We are comparing spatially explicit processmodel based estimates of the terrestrial carbon balance and its components over Africa and confront them with remote sensing based proxies of vegetation productivity and atmospheric inversions of land-atmosphere net carbon exchange. Particular emphasis is on characterizing the patterns of interannual variability of carbon fluxes and analyzing the factors and processes responsible for it. For this purpose simulations with the terrestrial biosphere models ORCHIDEE, LPJDGVM, LPJ-Guess and JULES have been performed using a standardized modeling protocol and a uniform set of corrected climate forcing data. While the models differ concerning the absolute magnitude of carbon fluxes, we find several... (More)
We are comparing spatially explicit processmodel based estimates of the terrestrial carbon balance and its components over Africa and confront them with remote sensing based proxies of vegetation productivity and atmospheric inversions of land-atmosphere net carbon exchange. Particular emphasis is on characterizing the patterns of interannual variability of carbon fluxes and analyzing the factors and processes responsible for it. For this purpose simulations with the terrestrial biosphere models ORCHIDEE, LPJDGVM, LPJ-Guess and JULES have been performed using a standardized modeling protocol and a uniform set of corrected climate forcing data. While the models differ concerning the absolute magnitude of carbon fluxes, we find several robust patterns of interannual variability among the models. Models exhibit largest interannual variability in southern and eastern Africa, regions which are primarily covered by herbaceous vegetation. Interannual variability of the net carbon balance appears to be more strongly influenced by gross primary production than by ecosystem respiration. A principal component analysis indicates that moisture is the main driving factor of interannual gross primary production variability for those regions. On the contrary in a large part of the inner tropics radiation appears to be limiting in two models. These patterns are partly corroborated by remotely sensed vegetation properties from the SeaWiFS satellite sensor. Inverse atmospheric modeling estimates of surface carbon fluxes are less conclusive at this point, implying the need for a denser network of observation stations over Africa. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Biogeosciences
volume
6
issue
2
pages
285 - 295
publisher
Copernicus GmbH
external identifiers
  • wos:000263839200013
  • scopus:70749129843
ISSN
1726-4189
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0bc5cfb7-0422-4e0a-be88-950f80697919 (old id 1370804)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:34:08
date last changed
2022-04-21 17:16:58
@article{0bc5cfb7-0422-4e0a-be88-950f80697919,
  abstract     = {{We are comparing spatially explicit processmodel based estimates of the terrestrial carbon balance and its components over Africa and confront them with remote sensing based proxies of vegetation productivity and atmospheric inversions of land-atmosphere net carbon exchange. Particular emphasis is on characterizing the patterns of interannual variability of carbon fluxes and analyzing the factors and processes responsible for it. For this purpose simulations with the terrestrial biosphere models ORCHIDEE, LPJDGVM, LPJ-Guess and JULES have been performed using a standardized modeling protocol and a uniform set of corrected climate forcing data. While the models differ concerning the absolute magnitude of carbon fluxes, we find several robust patterns of interannual variability among the models. Models exhibit largest interannual variability in southern and eastern Africa, regions which are primarily covered by herbaceous vegetation. Interannual variability of the net carbon balance appears to be more strongly influenced by gross primary production than by ecosystem respiration. A principal component analysis indicates that moisture is the main driving factor of interannual gross primary production variability for those regions. On the contrary in a large part of the inner tropics radiation appears to be limiting in two models. These patterns are partly corroborated by remotely sensed vegetation properties from the SeaWiFS satellite sensor. Inverse atmospheric modeling estimates of surface carbon fluxes are less conclusive at this point, implying the need for a denser network of observation stations over Africa.}},
  author       = {{Weber, U. and Jung, M. and Reichstein, M. and Beer, C. and Braakhekke, M. C. and Lehsten, Veiko and Ghent, D. and Kaduk, J. and Viovy, N. and Ciais, P. and Gobron, N. and Odenbeck, C. R.}},
  issn         = {{1726-4189}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{285--295}},
  publisher    = {{Copernicus GmbH}},
  series       = {{Biogeosciences}},
  title        = {{The interannual variability of Africa's ecosystem productivity: a multi-model analysis}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}