Scale-Dependent Performance of CMIP5 Earth System Models in Simulating Terrestrial Vegetation CarbonSource: Journal of Climate:;2015:;volume( 028 ):;issue: 013::page 5217Author:Jiang, Lifen
,
Yan, Yaner
,
Hararuk, Oleksandra
,
Mikle, Nathaniel
,
Xia, Jianyang
,
Shi, Zheng
,
Tjiputra, Jerry
,
Wu, Tongwen
,
Luo, Yiqi
DOI: 10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00270.1Publisher: American Meteorological Society
Abstract: odel intercomparisons and evaluations against observations are essential for better understanding of models? performance and for identifying the sources of uncertainty in their output. The terrestrial vegetation carbon simulated by 11 Earth system models (ESMs) involved in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) was evaluated in this study. The simulated vegetation carbon was compared at three distinct spatial scales (grid, biome, and global) among models and against the observations (an updated database from Olson et al.?s ?Major World Ecosystem Complexes Ranked by Carbon in Live Vegetation: A Database?). Moreover, the underlying causes of the differences in the models? predictions were explored. Model?data fit at the grid scale was poor but greatly improved at the biome scale. Large intermodel variability was pronounced in the tropical and boreal regions, where total vegetation carbon stocks were high. While 8 out of 11 ESMs reproduced the global vegetation carbon to within 20% uncertainty of the observational estimate (560 ± 112 Pg C), the simulated global totals varied nearly threefold between the models. The goodness of fit of ESMs in simulating vegetation carbon depended strongly on the spatial scales. Sixty-three percent of the variability in contemporary global vegetation carbon stocks across ESMs could be explained by differences in vegetation carbon residence time across ESMs (P < 0.01). The analysis indicated that ESMs? performance of vegetation carbon predictions can be substantially improved through better representation of plant longevity (i.e., carbon residence time) and its respective spatial distributions.
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contributor author | Jiang, Lifen | |
contributor author | Yan, Yaner | |
contributor author | Hararuk, Oleksandra | |
contributor author | Mikle, Nathaniel | |
contributor author | Xia, Jianyang | |
contributor author | Shi, Zheng | |
contributor author | Tjiputra, Jerry | |
contributor author | Wu, Tongwen | |
contributor author | Luo, Yiqi | |
date accessioned | 2017-06-09T17:10:26Z | |
date available | 2017-06-09T17:10:26Z | |
date copyright | 2015/07/01 | |
date issued | 2015 | |
identifier issn | 0894-8755 | |
identifier other | ams-80561.pdf | |
identifier uri | http://onlinelibrary.yabesh.ir/handle/yetl/4223466 | |
description abstract | odel intercomparisons and evaluations against observations are essential for better understanding of models? performance and for identifying the sources of uncertainty in their output. The terrestrial vegetation carbon simulated by 11 Earth system models (ESMs) involved in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) was evaluated in this study. The simulated vegetation carbon was compared at three distinct spatial scales (grid, biome, and global) among models and against the observations (an updated database from Olson et al.?s ?Major World Ecosystem Complexes Ranked by Carbon in Live Vegetation: A Database?). Moreover, the underlying causes of the differences in the models? predictions were explored. Model?data fit at the grid scale was poor but greatly improved at the biome scale. Large intermodel variability was pronounced in the tropical and boreal regions, where total vegetation carbon stocks were high. While 8 out of 11 ESMs reproduced the global vegetation carbon to within 20% uncertainty of the observational estimate (560 ± 112 Pg C), the simulated global totals varied nearly threefold between the models. The goodness of fit of ESMs in simulating vegetation carbon depended strongly on the spatial scales. Sixty-three percent of the variability in contemporary global vegetation carbon stocks across ESMs could be explained by differences in vegetation carbon residence time across ESMs (P < 0.01). The analysis indicated that ESMs? performance of vegetation carbon predictions can be substantially improved through better representation of plant longevity (i.e., carbon residence time) and its respective spatial distributions. | |
publisher | American Meteorological Society | |
title | Scale-Dependent Performance of CMIP5 Earth System Models in Simulating Terrestrial Vegetation Carbon | |
type | Journal Paper | |
journal volume | 28 | |
journal issue | 13 | |
journal title | Journal of Climate | |
identifier doi | 10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00270.1 | |
journal fristpage | 5217 | |
journal lastpage | 5232 | |
tree | Journal of Climate:;2015:;volume( 028 ):;issue: 013 | |
contenttype | Fulltext |