Modelling the terrestrial nitrogen and phosphorus cycle in the UVic ESCM

Abstract N) and phosphorus (P) biogeochemical dynamics are crucial for the regulation of the terrestrial carbon cycle. In Earth system models (ESMs) the implementation of nutrient limitations has been shown to improve the carbon cycle feedback representation and, hence, the fidelity of the response of land to simulated atmospheric CO 2 N and P cycle in an Earth system model of intermediate complexity to improve projections of future CO 2 N cycle is an improved version of the N module, with enforcement of N mass conservation and the merger with a deep land-surface and wetland module that allows for the estimation of N 2 O and NO fluxes. The N cycle module estimates fluxes from three organic (litter, soil organic matter and vegetation) and two inorganic (NH 4 + NO 3 - N fixation and N deposition. The P cycle module contains the same organic pools with one inorganic P pool; it estimates influx of P from rock weathering and losses from leaching and occlusion. Two historical simulations are carried out for the different nutrient limitation setups of the model: carbon and nitrogen (CN), as well as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus (CNP), with a baseline carbon-only simulation. The improved N cycle module now conserves mass, and the added fluxes (NO and N 2 O), along with the N and P pools, are within the range of other studies and literature. For the years 2001–2015 the nutrient limitation resulted in a reduction of gross primary productivity (GPP) from the carbon-only value of 143 to 130 Pg C yr - 1 in the CN version and 127 Pg C yr - 1 in the CNP version. This implies that the model efficiently represents a nutrient limitation over the CO 2 CNP simulation resulted in a reduction of 11 % of the mean GPP and a reduction of 23 % of the vegetation biomass compared to the baseline C simulation. These results are in better agreement with observations, particularly in tropical regions where P limitation is known to be important. In summary, the implementation of the N and P cycle has successfully enforced a nutrient limitation in the terrestrial system, which has now reduced the primary productivity and the capacity of land to take up atmospheric carbon, better matching observations.

Object Details

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

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Modelling the terrestrial nitrogen and phosphorus cycle in the UVic ESCM ; volume:16 ; number:14 ; year:2023 ; pages:4113-4136 ; extent:24 ; Geoscientific model development ; 16, Heft 14 (2023), 4113-4136 (gesamt 24)

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Biowissenschaften, Biologie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: De Sisto, Makcim L. ; MacDougall, Andrew H. ; Mengis, Nadine ; Antoniello, Sophia

Further information

• DOI: 10.5194/gmd-16-4113-2023
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2023072704340564939473
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:51 AM CEST