Modeling long-term changes in forested landscapes and their relation to the Earth's energy balance
The dynamics of the forested parts of the Earth's surface on time scales from decades to centuries are discussed. A set of computer models developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and elsewhere are applied as tools. These models simulate a landscape by duplicating the dynamics of growth, death and birth of each tree living on a 0.10 ha element of the landscape. This spatial unit is generally referred to as a gap in the case of the forest models. The models were tested against and applied to a diverse array of forests and appear to provide a reasonable representation for investigating forest-cover dynamics. Because of the climate linkage, one important test is the reconstruction of paleo-landscapes. Detailed reconstructions of changes in vegetation in response to changes in climate are crucial to understanding the association of the Earth's vegetation and climate and the response of the vegetation to climate change.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5711067
- Report Number(s):
- N-85-14194
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: In JPL, the interaction of global biochemical cycles, 229-252p., (N--85-14183 05-42)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CLIMATES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FORESTS
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
CARBON DIOXIDE
ENERGY BALANCE
GLOBAL ASPECTS
HYDROLOGY
LAND USE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
ECOSYSTEMS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
510100* - Environment
Terrestrial- Basic Studies- (-1989)