Scale variance in the carbon dynamics of fragmented, mixed-use landscapes estimated using model–data fusion

Abstract ∘ over a mixed-land-use region of the UK. Our analyses indicate that spatial resolution matters for MDF. Under the community average baseline approach biological C fluxes (gross primary productivity, R eco) simulated by CARDAMOM are relatively insensitive to resolution. However, disturbance fluxes exhibit scale variance that increases with greater landscape fragmentation and for coarser model domains. In contrast, stratification of assimilated data based on fine-resolution land use distributions resolved the resolution dependence, leading to disturbance fluxes that were 40 %–100 % higher than the baseline experiments. The differences in the simulated disturbance fluxes result in estimates of the terrestrial carbon balance in the stratified experiment that suggest a weaker C sink compared to the baseline experiment. We also find that stratifying the model domain based on land use leads to differences in the retrieved parameters that reflect variations in ecosystem function between neighbouring areas of contrasting land use. The emergent differences in model parameters between land use strata give rise to divergent responses to future climate change. Accounting for fine-scale structure in heterogeneous landscapes (e.g. stratification) is therefore vital for ensuring the ecological fidelity of large-scale MDF frameworks. The need for stratification arises because land use places strong controls on the spatial distribution of carbon stocks and plant functional traits and on the ecological processes controlling the fluxes of C through landscapes, particularly those related to management and disturbance. Given the importance of disturbance to global terrestrial C fluxes, together with the widespread increase in fragmentation of forest landscapes, these results carry broader significance for the application of MDF frameworks to constrain the terrestrial C balance at regional and national scales.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Scale variance in the carbon dynamics of fragmented, mixed-use landscapes estimated using model–data fusion ; volume:20 ; number:15 ; year:2023 ; pages:3301-3327 ; extent:27 ; Biogeosciences ; 20, Heft 15 (2023), 3301-3327 (gesamt 27)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Milodowski, David T. ; Smallman, T. Luke ; Williams, Mathew

Further information

• DOI: 10.5194/bg-20-3301-2023
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2023081704564300986533
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:45 AM CEST