Modeling choices and the effects of water runoff on plant productivity
Monday, August 1, 2016 - 07:41
in Earth & Climate
The starting point often changes the finish. A team led by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory modeled runoff, that is, water's movement over the land surface and through the subsurface, using two widely adopted methods. They found that the modeling choices result in differences that ultimately swing results in carbon cycle simulations—by as much as 20%. The differences in modeling runoff methods cause substantial differences in the soil moisture that also changes soil temperature.