Observational benchmarks inform representation of soil organic carbon dynamics in land surface models
Kamal Nyaupane,Umakant Mishra,Feng Tao,Kyongmin Yeo,William J. Riley,Forrest M. Hoffman,and Sagar Gautam
Kamal Nyaupane
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Environmental Science and Engineering Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
Representing soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in Earth system models (ESMs) is a key source of uncertainty in predicting carbon–climate feedbacks. Using machine learning, we develop and compare predictive relationships in observations (Obs) and ESMs. We find different relationships between environmental factors and SOC stocks in Obs and ESMs. SOC prediction in ESMs may be improved by representing the functional relationships of environmental controllers in a way consistent with observations.
Representing soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in Earth system models (ESMs) is a key source of...