TY - JOUR
T1 - Review and analysis of strengths and weaknesses of agro-ecosystem models for simulating C and N fluxes
AU - Brilli, Lorenzo
AU - Bechini, Luca
AU - Bindi, Marco
AU - Carozzi, Marco
AU - Cavalli, Daniele
AU - Conant, Richard
AU - Dorich, Cristopher D.
AU - Doro, Luca
AU - Ehrhardt, Fiona
AU - Farina, Roberta
AU - Ferrise, Roberto
AU - Fitton, Nuala
AU - Francaviglia, Rosa
AU - Grace, Peter
AU - Iocola, Ileana
AU - Klumpp, Katja
AU - Léonard, Joël
AU - Martin, Raphaël
AU - Massad, Raia Silvia
AU - Recous, Sylvie
AU - Seddaiu, Giovanna
AU - Sharp, Joanna
AU - Smith, Pete
AU - Smith, Ward N
AU - Soussana, Jean-Francois
AU - Bellocchi, Gianni
N1 - Acknowledgements
This work was developed by the CN-MIP project of the Joint Programming Initiative ‘FACCE’ (https://www.faccejpi.com) under the auspices of the Global Research Alliance for Agricultural Greenhouse Gases – Integrative Research Group (http://globalresearchalliance.org/research/integrative). The project, coordinated by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) (ANR-13-JFAC-0001), received funding by the ‘FACCE’ Multi-partner Call on Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research through its national financing bodies.
PY - 2017/11/15
Y1 - 2017/11/15
N2 - Biogeochemical simulation models are important tools for describing and quantifying the contribution of agricultural systems to C sequestration and GHG source/sink status. The abundance of simulation tools developed over recent decades, however, creates a difficulty because predictions from different models show large variability. Discrepancies between the conclusions of different modelling studies are often ascribed to differences in the physical and biogeochemical processes incorporated in equations of C and N cycles and their interactions. Here we review the literature to determine the state-of-the-art in modelling agricultural (crop and grassland) systems. In order to carry out this study, we selected the range of biogeochemical models used by the CN-MIP consortium of FACCE-JPI (http://www.faccejpi.com): APSIM, CERES-EGC, DayCent, DNDC, DSSAT, EPIC, PaSim, RothC and STICS. In our analysis, these models were assessed for the quality and comprehensiveness of underlying processes related to pedo-climatic conditions and management practices, but also with respect to time and space of application, and for their accuracy in multiple contexts. Overall, it emerged that there is a possible impact of ill-defined pedo-climatic conditions in the unsatisfactory performance of the models (46.2%), followed by limitations in the algorithms simulating the effects of management practices (33.1%). The multiplicity of scales in both time and space is a fundamental feature, which explains the remaining weaknesses (i.e. 20.7%). Innovative aspects have been identified for future development of C and N models. They include the explicit representation of soil microbial biomass to drive soil organic matter turnover, the effect of N shortage on SOM decomposition, the improvements related to the production and consumption of gases and an adequate simulations of gas transport in soil. On these bases, the assessment of trends and gaps in the modelling approaches currently employed to represent biogeochemical cycles in crop and grassland systems appears an essential step for future research.
AB - Biogeochemical simulation models are important tools for describing and quantifying the contribution of agricultural systems to C sequestration and GHG source/sink status. The abundance of simulation tools developed over recent decades, however, creates a difficulty because predictions from different models show large variability. Discrepancies between the conclusions of different modelling studies are often ascribed to differences in the physical and biogeochemical processes incorporated in equations of C and N cycles and their interactions. Here we review the literature to determine the state-of-the-art in modelling agricultural (crop and grassland) systems. In order to carry out this study, we selected the range of biogeochemical models used by the CN-MIP consortium of FACCE-JPI (http://www.faccejpi.com): APSIM, CERES-EGC, DayCent, DNDC, DSSAT, EPIC, PaSim, RothC and STICS. In our analysis, these models were assessed for the quality and comprehensiveness of underlying processes related to pedo-climatic conditions and management practices, but also with respect to time and space of application, and for their accuracy in multiple contexts. Overall, it emerged that there is a possible impact of ill-defined pedo-climatic conditions in the unsatisfactory performance of the models (46.2%), followed by limitations in the algorithms simulating the effects of management practices (33.1%). The multiplicity of scales in both time and space is a fundamental feature, which explains the remaining weaknesses (i.e. 20.7%). Innovative aspects have been identified for future development of C and N models. They include the explicit representation of soil microbial biomass to drive soil organic matter turnover, the effect of N shortage on SOM decomposition, the improvements related to the production and consumption of gases and an adequate simulations of gas transport in soil. On these bases, the assessment of trends and gaps in the modelling approaches currently employed to represent biogeochemical cycles in crop and grassland systems appears an essential step for future research.
KW - biogeochemical models
KW - C cycle
KW - N cycle
KW - management
KW - pedo-climate
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.208
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.208
M3 - Article
C2 - 28454025
VL - 598
SP - 445
EP - 470
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
SN - 0048-9697
ER -